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The National Marine Fisheries Service has implemented an emergency rule that closes the fishery for red porgy in the South Atlantic Region (North Carolina through the Atlantic side of the Florida Keys) in response to severe declines in the abundance of this species.
"The closure is effective on Sept. 8, 1999, and will remain in effect for 180 days," said David Cupka, director of the Office of Fisheries Management with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR). "The closure may be extended for an additional 180 days provided the public has had an opportunity to comment on it and that the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is actively preparing an amendment to address the emergency on a permanent basis."
The closure prohibits the harvest and possession of red porgy and applies to both recreational and commercial fishermen. It is very unlikely that a red porgy would be caught in state waters, but South Carolina fishermen are reminded that state law makes all federal snapper-grouper regulations applicable to the waters of this state. Fishermen are urged to handle and release all red porgy as carefully as possible to ensure maximum survival rates.
The red porgy, also known as "silver snapper," "pink snapper," or "Charleston snapper," was one of the most common species on live-bottom and rocky ledges offshore of South Carolina throughout the 1970s, according to Glenn Ulrich, a marine biologist with the DNR^s Finfish Management Section. "Heavy fishing pressure beginning in the mid-1970s resulted in decreased numbers of spawning fish and a resulting decline in the population," Ulrich said.
Regulations previously implemented to reverse these declines in red porgy have not been effective and the 1999 National Marine Fisheries Service stock assessment indicated that the population weight of spawning red porgy has declined by more than 97 percent from 1973 levels. All estimates of population size and fishing pressure pointed to a species in severe trouble. The emergency closure was required to provide the best hope for rebuilding the populations of these once abundant fish.
Public comment on the emergency rule is sought and will be considered in extending the emergency rule or implementing more permanent regulations. If you wish to obtain a copy of the emergency rule and/or submit written comments contact Peter Eldridge, National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office, 9721 Executive Center Drive N., St. Petersburg, FL 33702 (e-mail: Peter.Eldridge@noaa.gov; phone (727) 570- 5305). Written comments must be received by Oct. 3.
Uploaded: 9/22/1999
Uploaded: 9/22/1999