Conversation: Andrew Sharpless, CEO, Oceana.

Excerpts from a story by MAUREEN NANDINI MITRA – MAY 11, 2012 (Full version viewable here.)

Oceana CEO Andrew Sharpless estimates that if we managed the world’s oceans better, wild seafood could potentially be a major protein source for our world’s ever-growing population. He says, “a fully productive ocean could provide the entire animal protein diet for a billion people, or 13 to 15 percent of the animal protein produced on the entire planet,” by 2050…. I spoke with Sharpless about his “Save the Oceans and Feed the World” idea and other threats to oceans when he was in San Francisco last month.

Photo by Ian Umeda

You mention that ensuring sustainable fishing practicies can’t be a global, top down effort. That it has to be a country-by-country effort. What would you like individual countries to do?

Everybody knows, from a technical perspective, what to do to make the oceans be abundant, and it’s just three things — have reasonable science-based [catch] quotas, protect nursery habitat, and reduce bycatch, that is, the accidental killing of non-target species. Usually fish, because they are so prolific, if you give them these three things, within about 10 years you can see a really measurable increase in the number of fish in the water.

Unfortunately, we are headed in the wrong direction right now. We have so mismanaged the world’s fisheries that they peaked in the late 1980s. Total global catches have been declining. You’ve heard of peak oil, we’ve hit peak fish. We are headed down the backside of that. We need to turn that around.

Unfortunately the UN isn’t very competent at forcing change in the world. But here’s some good news —coastal countries of the world have control of their coastal oceans out to 200 nautical miles [from their shores – the area is designated as the concerned country’s Exclusive Economic Zone, or EEZ]. So, for example, nobody fishes within 200 miles of the US coast without the US government’s permission. So the quotas, the habitats, the bycatch in the coasts of the US are under management by the US. You don’t have to go to the UN to regulate it. Same is true across the world.

Two hundred nautical miles is a long way. And guess what? Fish have the good sense to spend most of their lives in these coastal zones. By a ratio of 7 to 1, the world’s oceans’ fish are caught within the national zones of these coastal countries.  That means we can get the job done country by country.

We made a list of top 10 countries whose EEZs have the largest catches of ocean’s fish. Found that 53 percent of the world’s ocean fish are caught in the EEZs of just 10 countries. The US is the third on that list. Peru is number one because of a very small fish, the anchovy.

Point here is, 10 countries give you 53 percent of the world’s fish. Twenty-five countries give you 75 percent of the world’s fish. So what Oceana would like to do, working with other conservation groups, is to get those 10 to 25 countries to do the three things we talked about– set quotas, protect nursery habitat, and prevent bycatch. National policymaking in those countries is the chief lever to get that done.

Photo by Jon Anderson

But setting quotas can be a difficult task. It’s been tough implementing sustainable fishing practices in the US, for example. Any thoughts on how we can move beyond this conflict between the fishing industry and regulators?

Short answer is no. It’s an arm-wrestling match everywhere in the world between the big fleet operators who tend to take a short view of things and the scientifically-driven view that Oceana and sensible regulators have.

If you are the operator of a big fleet you are really focused on this year’s results and on the money you make this year. When a regulator comes to you and says I’m going to ask you to reduce your income for five or six years but you’ll get more income in years seven, eight, and nine, you don’t have to be a fisherman to worry that future payment won’t come. It will, science shows that, but businesspeople tend to focus on the short term and the operators of these big fleets are just businesspeople.

There are some things you can do to try to help convince the fleet to back down. The places in the world where there are still abundant fisheries, the fleets tend to be more rational. They tend to be able to take a longer view. Like, for example, the northern Pacific, where we work, is one of the most productive parts of American fisheries and has one of the best fisheries management in place. In New England fisheries, which have long been mismanaged, are in a much more depleted state. The fights there tend to be much bloodier between the science side of things and the fleet side of things.

Can you cite some countries that have best fishing practices?
Oceana works in US, Europe, Chile, and Belize. We observe that there are some countries in the world that do a decent job and some that do a lousy job. One of the places that does it well is Norway, which is a big fishing country. They do a lot of sensible things. They very strictly control discarding at sea. They’ve done a lot of habitat protection and bottom-trawling control. They are an example of where the scientific community and the fishing industry has sat down and made sure they can make money forever. New Zealand is fairly progressive too. But the Europeans have done a terrible job… The Spanish fleet is a predator that the world needs to worry about… So there are some positive examples, but there aren’t as many as you would like.

Another interesting data point is that about a third of all of the fish we catch in the world’s oceans is fed to other fish and other livestock. It’s called reduction fishery. You are taking the fish and you’re feeding it to something else that’s not a person and in the process you are losing most of the value of the fish – something like 90 percent of the value. And if you were to feed all of the world’s fish directly to people and manage the oceans better, by the middle of the century you could give 1.1 billion people a fish-based meal every day. So that’s the scope of what a really abundant ocean can do for feeding people.

I just think this is a huge opportunity.

Any last words for our readers?
Pay attention to what fish you eat. Make your personal consumption morally responsible. But that’s not all you should do. You have to get engaged in helping Oceana, or whatever conservation group you want to pick, to pressure the regulators to do a better job at setting quotas and stopping bycatch. They need to step up and they need to hear from citizens that we want them to do a better job. And I hope people will do that.

They bit the very hand that feeds them — America’s commercial fishermen to be precise.

Several National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration programs — including better management of fisheries under innovative catch share models and funding for the recovery of northwest salmon – were targeted yesterday by Republican amendments within the House fiscal 2013 Commerce, Science and Justice appropriations bill. The bill sets the House recommendations for the next Federal budget.

In one sad maneuver, Republican neophyte Steve Southerland (Fla.) proposed a restriction on funding any new catch-share programs for fisheries along the East Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. Southerland was recently named America’s number one ocean enemy so it’s no surprise that his proposal makes for better politics than it does ocean policy.

His amendment was sponsored by Reps. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) and Barney Frank (D-Mass.), an outspoken opponent of NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, which oversees both programs.

Southerland argued that catch shares are somehow unworthy of funding despite the clear recovery they have enabled in the iconic American red snapper and Gulf red grouper in the Gulf of Mexico.

Southerland’s amendment passed by a narrow 220-191, primarily following party lines. Just 15 votes the other way would have failed the effort. Instead, the House failed America’s hardworking commercial fishermen.

And because America’s commercial fleets produce seafood for 97.3% of consumers who do not or cannot fish for themselves, this vote most definitely failed you, too.

The “no new catch shares” bill now goes to the Senate and commercial fishermen and seafood consumers just like you should be urging Congress to protect what House politics is trying to kill: Responsible management of our nation’s fisheries.

To learn about how many legislators have lost the real issues in the discussion, read this piece in the Tallahassee Democrat.  Among those to advocate yesterday in favor of better fisheries management under catch share programs was Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Wash.).

Said the experienced statesman to Southerland during House discussions: “Shame on you.”

Southerland, and others in the anti-catch share lobby, have fabricated some pretty hefty propaganda through past months. Among their claims is a conspiracy by commercial fishermen to take away individual fishing rights of individual citizens through catch shares.

But here’s a critical truth they routinely distort: Catch shares are a tool for the Commercial sector only; not a single catch share program is designed for individual fishermen in the United States. Not one.

You’ve probably seen the bumper sticker: “If you tell a lie enough times, it becomes politics.”

It’s a particularly true adage if Florida Rep. Steve Southerland is near the dock.

Story by Nicki Holmyard, SeafoodSource contributing editor – MAY 09, 2012 (Full story can be found here.)

An upbeat mood was noticeable at the opening of the 6th World Fisheries Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland, yesterday, as keynote speakers tempered doom and gloom messages of the past decade with notes of optimism.

The Prince of Wales addressed some 1,200 delegates from 70 countries at the start of the four-day event, and warned of the social and economic consequences of failing to manage the world’s fish stocks sustainably. He set out the need for a greater understanding of the marine environment in order to keep healthy oceans thriving so they can continue to maintain food security. The Prince’s Sustainability Trust is working to help build effective partnerships between policy makers, fisheries stakeholders and non-governmental organizations worldwide, to ensure a sustainable and well-managed future for fish stocks.

Professor Ray Hilborn from the University of Washington was particularly upbeat in his keynote speech, which looked at how a past reliance on catch data had led to an alarming picture of global stock depletion, whereas a more recent switch to studying abundance data gave  a more accurate picture.  He acknowledged that some stocks are undoubtedly in trouble, but explained that the overall picture is of many species in recovery or stable.  “There is no silver bullet to put things right, but a broad series of management measures to improve the sustainability of fish stocks is working,” said Hilborn.

He also pointed out that wild fish stocks can be captured at very low environmental cost. Asking if environmentalists have counted up the full cost to the planet of taking fish off the menu, he demonstrated that its replacement by other protein sources such as chicken, pork and beef would have a far higher environmental impact.

“The capture of fish uses hardly any water, no fertilizer, pesticides or antibiotics, and results in no soil erosion,” he explained. “To me, it’s a no-brainer. Fish live in a natural system but to grow more animal protein will need land to be cleared, plus intensive use of irrigation, fertilizer and pesticides, and I am not sure that consumers are aware of this.”

Hilborn challenged policy makers and the scientific community to research fully the implications of replacing world fish production on a large scale. For example, he had worked out that to replace with land-grown protein the 81.9 million metric tons of fish landed in 2006 (FAO), would require an area 22.3 times the size of the word’s rainforests. He also calculated that to substitute palm oil for Peruvian anchovies in fish feed, would result in the depletion of 4,604 orangutans, which would be of great concern to consumers.

Mike Mitchell, director of Quality and CSR for Young’s Seafood, asked if lessons learned from history can give us hope for the future, using the decline of the fishing industry in his home port of Grimsby, England, as an example.

He pointed out that today, seafood companies “choice edit” the species on sale, which has led to a reliance on particular stocks and an urgent need for better scientific data to help them make informed risk assessments and policy decisions such as Young’s Fish for Life.

To achieve sustainability, Mitchell argued that voluntary Codes of Practice and participation in certification schemes such as Marine Stewardship Council are only part of the answer.

“Seafood processors and retailers alone cannot solve the problems of the sea, nor can politicians, fishermen or scientists.  Nor should you all continue fighting; instead you need to act as one to find solutions,” he stated. “Let us recognise and learn from the lessons of history and work with a new concept where the boundaries of science, regulation and commerce are broken down in recognition of a mutual interest.”

Mitchell called on politicians to develop policy that appropriately matches fishing capacity with resource availability; on fishermen to embrace science and work with scientists; and on scientists to engage fully and collaboratively with the greatest and most comprehensive research platform they will ever have access to – the fishing industry.

“If we do not – with some sense of urgency — align our scientific, political and fishing agendas around these simple principles, then I would fear for the fisheries and I would fear for the livelihoods of fishing communities — and I would fear for the future food security of society,” he said. He hoped that the stark lessons of overfishing and poor policy in the past would be heeded and that the new future would soon dawn.

The International Conservation Caucus Foundation (ICCF) is a non-partisan educational foundation based in Washington, D.C. which works with sustainability-minded corporations and NGOs who leverage their leadership in the world to promote sound, long-term policies of sustainable land, water and biodiversity management.

That’s a mighty big mission, but since 2007 the ICCF has been delivering in mighty big ways.

One of those ways is in the launch one year ago of the Oceans Caucus Foundation (OCF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is educating U.S. and international policymakers about issues of ocean conservation worldwide. Among their chief concerns: balancing the needs of marine ecosystems and biodiversity with those of sustainable fishing, commerce, and transportation industries.

All our ships crossed paths last month in Washington, D.C. at the ICCF’s annual gala, thanks to an invitation from our friends at Environmental Defense Fund. Gala guests included a mix of international conservationists, from A-list celebrities including Bo Derek (tigers) and John Corbett (energy) to others like William Wrigley, Jr., the Prime Minister of Barbados, the President of Ghana and more.

Our Alliance fishermen proudly provided fresh-caught Gulf reef fish – specifically, guests enjoyed fully trackable Florida grouper and American red snapper from Texas in their hors d’oeuvres. Our uniquely numbered Gulf Wild™ gill tags provide levels of transparency seldom seen — and guests were able to see exactly who caught their fish, where and under what fishery management tools (in this case . We’re consistently told in the Gulf of Mexico (and elsewhere) that our tagging and tracking system is ahead of its time so it was a true delight to learn from and laugh with others who also champion progressive sustainability initiatives across the globe.

Take the President of Ghana, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, as an example. In his keynote address to the hundreds attending, President Mills challenged world leaders to pilot the crusade against environmental degradation because the moment ‘’ the last marine species dies, the last human being will also die.’’  He urged world leaders and policy makers to enforce the laws and rules governing the environment to guarantee the survival of marine species and water bodies, for the enhancement of human life and the environment in general.

This agrees with all we have learned as an association of conservation fishermen — from our participation in the International Sustainability Unit, the World Oceans Summit, to sustainability conferences nationwide.  Once again, in parallel with the rest of the world, the same voice was heard calling for accountable fisheries and an end to the overcapacity that exist in our current day fisheries worldwide.

It so difficult to understand why our U.S. congressmen and congresswomen continue to put forth legislation that puts all this in jeopardy — until you remember:

Genuine conservation puts the resource before politics, and D.C. is the political capitol of the world.

Anote Tong is President of the Pacific nation Kiribati, an island nation of 32 atolls in the central tropical Pacific and one of the poorest countries in the world. Frequent droughts hinder large-scale agriculture so islanders there have largely turned to living off the sea. Many citizens are outrigger sailors and fishermen. Fishing accounts for nearly half the government’s tax revenue. Fishing-based tourism and fishing licenses comprise other large parts.

So you can begin to understand the significance of Kiribati’s recent decision to close more than 150,000 square miles of territory to fishing. They declared it off limits. From everyone. Entirely.

A laundry list of benefits emboldens Kiribati’s restrictions, including improved fisheries management, protection of biodiversity, furthering the scientific understanding of the marine ecosystem, and reductions to the negative impacts our human activities have on it all.

In a single word, it’s all about sustainability.

My first inclination when reading of Kiribati was to wonder if U.S. fishermen would ever agree to close 150,000 square miles of territory for collaborative conservation programs. I began comparing the collaborative efforts here with those in Kiribati and, quickly, I had to admit: There is really little to compare. Nearly everywhere you look in the United States, fishermen are being asked to manage, record and even reduce their catch. And nearly everywhere — particularly down here in the Gulf of Mexico and in the South Atlantic region — those requests are met with extreme opposition.

Google “Roy Crabtree” — Southeast Regional Administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service — and you find demands for his dismissal. Google President Tong’s name, and you see he’s been tagged the “Teddy Roosevelt of the ocean.”

The truth is, too few American fishermen genuinely advocate for the future of the resource.

Rest assured, we’re proudly demonstrating our many levels of commitment to conservation here at the Alliance. We’re engineering innovative programs and advocating sometimes unpopular options — like catch shares, sector separation, and on-board video monitoring of our harvests and discards — because they will help ensure more fish in our oceans tomorrow. Fortunately, advocates like Anote Tong are also in our oceans, and they’re continually inspiring us to do more every day.

• If you’d like to learn more about Kiribati and President Tong, you can click here.
• If you want to hear about Tong’s really, really big idea called Pacific Oceanscape, a conservation plan for 24 million square miles of sea from Hawaii to New Zealand, click here.
• If you’d like to know more about the relevant work on these topics by the Alliance, please click here.

Governor Recants Nominations to Gulf Fishery Management Council; Commercial Sector’s Replacement Candidate Has Little Commercial Background, Is Not from the Gulf

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (March 29, 2012) – An unexpected, and yet unexplained, second submission of nominations for the Gulf of Mexico’s fishery management body has Governor Rick Scott fielding strong objections by those the eventual delegate would represent.

Two Gulf-wide commercial fishing organizations plus the region’s largest for federally-permitted charter and head boat vessels are requesting a response from the Governor on why he is eliminating the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s current Chairman and well-respected commercial delegate from Florida. Bob Gill is Florida’s lone commercial sector representative and owner of a wholesale/retail seafood market in Crystal River, FL.

“This seems to exemplify what those of us in industry have felt for years, the appointment process for this critical fishery management council is primarily a political one,” said David Krebs, president of the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance, one of the fishing organizations seeking a discussion with the Governor.

Krebs’ group, along with the Charter Fishermen’s Association and the Gulf Fishermen’s Association are all requesting the Governor’s response. Members of each group think the decision is politically based and threatens Florida’s commercial fishing industry, a significant economic driver for Florida’s iconic seafood industry and jobs in the state. Together, the groups represent hundreds of commercial fishermen and millions of seafood consumers nationally.

The grievances stem from an unexplained late substitution last week of Governor Scott’s original nominations to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).  Florida is afforded four nominees to the Gulf Council: One each from the commercial, recreational and charter fishing sectors, and at least one “other” interest that is knowledgeable about the conservation and management of fisheries resources in the jurisdiction of the Council. All nominees vie for a single delegate seat which ultimately is appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.

On March 15, 2012, Governor Scott nominated the well-respected Gill as his “preferred choice for the obligatory seat on the Council…I believe it is important that Mr. Gill continue as chairman of the council,” Scott wrote. “His reputation in both the commercial and recreational fishing communities as being impartial and open-minded would make him an ideal candidate to represent Florida on the Council.”

Five days later, which also was five days past the technical submission deadline, Governor Scott wrote a second letter that replaced Chairman Gill with a fisherman who does not participate of the Gulf of Mexico commercial fishing industry and who resides on Florida’s Atlantic coast. The same nominee only completed the recreational section of his initial nomination application to the Governor’s Office.

Glen Brooks, President of the Gulf Fishermen’s Association is awaiting a reply from the Governor to his meeting request. “Now more than ever, commercial fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico need representation on the Gulf Council that understand our businesses,” Brooks said.  “Gov. Scott’s decision leaves us without the seasoned local representation our fishery needs.”

Chairman Gill has been involved in the fishing industry since 1986 and has an extensive educational background, including a bachelor’s degree from the United States Naval Academy and a master’s degree in ocean engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, wrote the Governor. “Mr. Gill served honorably in the United States Navy from 1966 to 1976, retiring as an Engineering Officer. He is a longtime member of the South-eastern Fisheries Association and director of Organized Fishermen of Florida,” Scott wrote.

Without adequate explanation, Scott’s change “feels like politics over public policy,” said Gary Jarvis, President of the Charter Fishermen’s Association. “To remove Chairman Gill from the Gulf Council endangers the businesses and communities that depend on the economic engine of charter for hire fleets and on the local commercial fishing industry up and down Florida’s Gulf Coast,” Jarvis said. “We’re anticipating more perspective from the Governor when we meet.”

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The Gulf Fishermen’s Association s a Florida-based, non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the fishing future for all fishermen. www.gulffishermen.org

The Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholder’s Alliance is a 501c(6) trade association representing IFQ fishermen and associated dealers who provide consumers year-round access to high-quality, responsibly-caught seafood year-round.

The Charter Fishermen’s Association is trade association of charter and head boat fishermen who operate in the Gulf of Mexico. The for-hire fishing sector provides access to millions of recreational fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico every year. www.charterfisherman.org

Remarkable things can happen when key stakeholders and leaders in Washington find common ground for a common good. An excellent case in point is the congressional effort to reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, a landmark conservation measure signed into law by President George W. Bush five years ago this January.

Dear NOAA Fisheries Constituents,

Everyone – commercial and recreational fishermen, NGOs, Councils, Congress and NOAA – knew it would be a heavy lift to put accountability measures and catch limits in place for all federally managed fisheries. Five years ago this week the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act reauthorization was signed into law and required just that – catch limits for all federally managed fisheries. Well, 2012 is here and we are almost fully over the goal line. Yes, there are a few stragglers, but I can report that all federal fisheries will have catch limits in place in time for the 2012 fishing season.

Signed into law on January 12, 2007, the reauthorized Act called for all federal fisheries to be managed under annual catch limits and enforced through accountability measures by the end of 2011. Over the last five years, NOAA Fisheries, fishermen, the councils, our partner organizations, the science community and many others have been actively engaged and dedicated to achieving this goal.

Reaching this milestone represents a historic achievement and I want to particularly recognize the tremendous amount of effort and sacrifice on the part of our nation’s fishermen and fishing communities to get us here. Catch limits and accountability measures to rebuild stocks and ensure sustainable fisheries represent a collective investment in the future of fishing. And while these benefits will accrue for generations to come, in many cases they do require short-term cost. In addition to fishermen around the country, our eight Regional Fishery Management Councils deserve special recognition. Finally, the men and women of NOAA must also be recognized for their unflagging commitment to this effort and hard work in helping the nation turn the corner in our efforts to end overfishing and rebuild stocks.

Bold goals are difficult, and we all have weathered challenges, controversy and economic difficulties in pursuit of this one.  But even as we stand here today with so much work behind us, we know that ending overfishing is not something that is accomplished as a discrete end point. Rather, it is a step in an ongoing and evolutionary process. The science and management of federal fisheries will continue to evolve, change and strengthen to support the needs of our commercial and recreational fisheries and our coastal and ocean resources.

As we begin 2012 and a new leg of this journey, I invite you to reflect on the importance of our collective accomplishment and the strength it provides us to move forward and tackle other issues still in front of us. Some current challenges include working to further refine our management approaches to better meet the needs of fishermen and coastal communities, building on our world class science to better understand trends in fish populations and ecosystem considerations, and taking stronger steps to preserve protected resources like endangered species and marine mammals. Other challenges on the horizon include addressing habitat loss, pollution and environmental change and their effects on our living marine resources. We also must continue to deal with global challenges like pirate fishing.

We have come a long way since 1976 when our nation’s fisheries were being decimated by uncontrolled overfishing by foreign fleets. Thirty-five years later, we now stand at a point in history when the U.S. model of fisheries management has evolved to become an international guidepost for sustainable fishery practices. Still, we have much work ahead. So, on behalf of NOAA Fisheries, I’m proud to congratulate all of you who have been dedicated to achieving this goal and thank you for your involvement and dedication to helping evolve and build the science-based management that has become the signature of U.S. fisheries.

Eric C. Schwaab
Assistant Administrator for U.S. Fisheries

The Mackerel Management Committee will meet Monday from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. to review scoping documents for Amendments 19 and 20. Amendment 19 considers no sale of recreationally caught fish and various permit issues, Amendment 20 considers boundary changes and transit provisions. The Shrimp Management Committee will meet at 4:00 to review data from the 2011 Texas Shrimp Closure and determine whether to continue the closure in 2012. At 4:30 the Council will hear a brief update on the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP).

The Reef Fish Committee will meet all day Tuesday and part of Wednesday to hear a presentation on the Red Snapper IFQ Five-Year Review Survey Results. The Committee will also review and discuss:

• Final Red Snapper Regulatory Amendment – Fall Closed Season Revision & 2012 Annual Catch
• Options Paper for a Regulatory Amendment for Red Snapper Weekend/Weekday Openings
• Gray Triggerfish Update Assessment
• Final Action on Amendment 34 – Crew Size and Income Requirement
• Final Action on Amendment 35 – Greater Amberjack
• Option Paper for Vermilion Snapper ACL Framework Action
• Scoping Document for Amendment 36 – Red Snapper IFQ Transferability
• Reef Fish Amendment 33 – LAPP Program
• Reef Fish Framework Action for Red Snapper Payback Provisions for Overages
• Also on Tuesday, the Council and NOAA Fisheries will hold an informal Question and Answer session on general fishery management issues.

On Wednesday, the Joint Mackerel/Reef Fish/Red Drum Management Committee will meet to discuss starting an amendment to develop biomass-based stock status definitions, followed by the Data Collection Committee and the Artificial Reef Committee.

The Spiny Lobster Management Committee will meet to take final action on Amendment 11 – which considers two actions:  1) Creating new closed areas to reduce the impacts of lobster traps on protected coral species and 2) Requiring markings for spiny lobster trap lines to allow identification of trap lines entangling protected species.

The full Council will convene Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. Public comment will begin at 3:15 p.m. Testimony will be heard on the following:

• Reef Fish Amendment 34 – Crew Size and Income Requirement
• Reef Fish Amendment 35 – Greater Amberjack
• Red Snapper Regulatory Amendment – Fall Closed Season Revision & 2012 Annual Catch Limit
• Spiny Lobster Amendment 11
• Exempted Fishing Permits (if any)
• The Council will also hold an open public comment session immediately following public testimony, until 6:15 p.m.  Comment cards must be completed before the start of public testimony. Open public comment gives members of the public an opportunity to address the Council on fishery issues that may not be on the agenda.

Beginning Thursday, the Council will deliberate and take action on committee recommendations made earlier in the week. The meeting is expected to conclude Thursday by 4:45 p.m.

Although other non-emergency issues not on the agenda may come before the Council and Committees for discussion, in accordance with the M-SFCMA, those issues may not be the subject of formal action. Actions of the Council and Committees will be restricted to issues specifically identified in the agendas and any issues arising after publication of this notice that require emergency action under Section 305(c) of the M-SFCMA, provided the public has been notified of the Council’s intent to take action to address the emergency.

The established times for addressing items on the agenda may be adjusted as necessary to accommodate the timely completion of discussion relevant to the agenda items. In order to allow for such adjustments and completion of all items on the agenda, the meeting may be extended from, or completed prior to, the date established in this notice. Meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Kathy Pereira at the Council office at least five days prior to the meeting.

About Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional Fishery Management Councils established by the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976. The Council prepares fishery management plans, which are designed to manage fishery resources within the 200-mile limit of the Gulf of Mexico.