CFMC 189th Meeting Draft Option Paper 4/17/2026
Modification of Accountability Measures for Pelagic Stocks under the IslandBased Fishery Management Plans DRAFT Options Paper, April 2026
1.1
Background
Pelagic stocks under each of Puerto Rico, St. Croix, and St. Thomas/St. John Fishery Management Plans (Island-based FMPs) are relatively new to federal management (Tables 1-3) (CFMC 2019 a, b, c). The Council relied on existing landings data to develop management reference points for pelagic fish included in the FMPs. However, it is uncertain if this data fully represents the actual harvest. Because these stocks were not federally managed before and may not have been included on the commercial catch report forms, data on some stocks may have been less complete, likely missing key temporal and spatial variations in the fisheries. Reflecting economic and cultural considerations guiding the harvest of pelagic stocks in all three islands, the Caribbean Fishery Management Council (Council) adopted a different approach to manage pelagic stocks until a more complete understanding of these important fisheries is obtained (CFMC 2019 a, b, c). As required under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), the Island-based FMPs established annual catch limits (ACLs) and accountability measures (AMs) for all pelagic stocks. However, instead of applying an AM in the event of an ACL overage that reduces the length of the fishing season to prevent the ACL from being again exceeded, as is done for reef fish and spiny lobster, the Council established an annual catch target (ACT) that would serve as the AM trigger, as described below, and specified that NMFS would consult with the Council to determine appropriate corrective action. 1.1.1
Current AMs applicable to Pelagic Stocks under the Island-based FMPs
AM trigger The ACTs were established to address uncertainty in the landings of these species, all of which were new to management under the Island-based FMPs. This use of an ACT is consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Act National Standard 1 Guidelines. The ACT for each pelagic stock or stock complex serves as a target below the ACL, and is intended to provide stability for fisheries with variable catches. The ACT for each pelagic stock/stock complex in all three FMPs was set at 90% of the applicable ACL and serves as the AM trigger. As discussed in the Island-based FMPs, an AM would be triggered if the applicable landings (e.g., sector landings, as available) exceed the applicable ACT for that stock/stock complex. For Puerto Rico, when landings for one sector are not available for comparison to that sector's ACL 1