Caribbean Fishery Bulletin Bringing Fishing News to You
FB24-071 FISHERY BULLETIN ISSUE DATE: November 13, 2024 CONTACT: Sarah Stephenson, 727-824-5305, sarah.stephenson@noaa.gov
NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments on an Application for an Exempted Fishing Permit to Collect Red Hind in U.S. Caribbean Federal Waters Key Message: NOAA Fisheries is accepting comments on an application for an exempted fishing permit from the University of South Carolina. The project seeks to address critical gaps in red hind demographics and life history, identified as research recommendations in the Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review 35 final report, which could help provide current, region-specific information for upcoming stock assessments for red hind. Project objectives include investigating age, growth, mortality, and reproductive biology of red hind from two managed marine areas off the United States Virgin Islands: the Hind Bank Marine Conservation District in federal waters off St. Thomas and the Lang Bank Red Hind Spawning Aggregation Area in federal waters off St. Croix. Additionally, the project would evaluate the effectiveness of the seasonal and area closures through replication of past collections and analysis of temporal trends related to size-atage, sex ratios, and size/age frequency distributions for red hind during spawning events. Project Description: •
Under this exempted fishing permit, researchers and commercial fishermen aboard contracted commercial fishing vessels would harvest a maximum of 60 red hind from each aggregation site (for a total of 120 red hind) during the four days around the full moon in December 2024, January 2025, and February 2025.
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Red hind is the only targeted species. Other species that could be incidentally caught include vermilion, blackfin, mutton, and yellowtail snappers; Nassau, coney, graysby, black, red, and yellowfin groupers; white and bluestriped grunts; hogfish; and queen triggerfish. All incidental catch during sampling activities would be returned to the water using a descending device to ensure minimum harm.
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Project activities would be conducted from December 1, 2024 through February 28, 2025, during the four days around the full moon in each month.
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A maximum of 16 fishing trips would be conducted.