Caribbean Fishery Bulletin
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FB23-047 Fishery Bulletin Issue Date: July 20, 2023 Contact: Maria Lopez-Mercer, 727-824-5305, maria.lopez@noaa.gov
Final Rule to Modify the Definition and Use of Buoy Gear in U.S. Caribbean Federal Waters Key Message: • •
NOAA Fisheries is announcing a final rule to implement Amendment 1 to each of the Puerto Rico, St. Croix, and St. Thomas and St. John Fishery Management Plans. Amendment 1 and the final rule will modify the use and definition of buoy gear, which is a type of hook-and-line gear used by commercial fishermen targeting deep-water reef fish in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Buoy gear is also known as “cala con boya” in Puerto Rico and as “deep-drop buoy gear” in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
When Rule Will Take Effect: Regulations become effective on August 21, 2023. What This Means: •
Amendment 1 and the final rule: Prohibit the use of buoy gear for all recreational fisheries (i.e., species managed and nonmanaged by the Caribbean Fishery Management Council) in federal waters around Puerto Rico, St. Croix, and St. Thomas and St. John. o Modify the definition of buoy gear to increase the maximum number of hooks from 10 to 25 hooks in federal waters around Puerto Rico, St. Croix, and St. Thomas and St. John for fisheries where buoy gear is authorized (i.e., the commercial sector). o
The purpose of Amendment 1 is to allow commercial fishermen targeting deep-water fish, including snappers and groupers, in U.S. Caribbean federal waters to use buoy gear with up to 25 hooks. This is consistent with the gear configuration preferred by some commercial fishermen in state waters, while protecting the deep-water reef fish resource and its habitat and minimizing user conflicts. Formal Federal Register Name/Number: 88 FR 46692, published July 20, 2023