This bill prevents the Secretary of Commerce from issuing any interim or final rule or Secretarial Amendment that would create an area or bottom closure in the South Atlantic for species managed under the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region until two things happen: the South Atlantic Great Red Snapper Count study is finished, and the study's data are integrated into the first South Atlantic red snapper Southeast Data, Assessment and Review (SEDAR) stock assessment carried out after the bill becomes law. The bill also includes findings that describe the economic importance of fishing in the region, recent investments in survey data, and views on stock status and management options.
If you fish, work in the snapper-grouper fishery, or live in coastal communities in the South Atlantic, this bill would delay any federal area or bottom closures for those fish until the named survey is complete and its data are added to the next applicable stock assessment. Fishery managers would still be able to consider other management actions, but closures tied to this rule pathway could not be put in place until the study and data integration requirements are met.
No publicly available information on new federal spending or appropriations is included in the bill text. The bill does note that $8,700,000 has been invested in independent survey data over the last three fiscal years, including $3,300,000 for the South Atlantic Great Red Snapper Count study.
The bill's findings state that fishing is a major economic driver in the South Atlantic, red snapper is a highly valued fish, and managers have worked to rebuild red snapper stocks with current high abundance and strong recruitment. It also says survey data should be incorporated into stock assessments to better inform management decisions and that some stakeholders, including the State of Florida and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel, are concerned about the economic impacts of broad area closures.
No publicly available information on organized opposition or formal opponent arguments is included in the bill text. The bill does note that managers have considered options such as shorter seasons and broad area closures to reduce out-of-season encounters and red snapper mortalities, which indicates those management options have been discussed.