Amendment number 1 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Shallow-water Reeffish Fishery, preliminary environmental assessment and regulatory impact review

Caribbean Fishery Management Council

Introduction: The Fishery Management Plan for the Shallow-water Reeffish Fishery of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (FMP) became effective September 22, 1985. The FMP was prepared by the Caribbean Fishery Management Council to establish a management system for the shallow water reeffish resources within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the waters under the authority of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands, from the shoreline to the edge of the insular platform. Of some 350 species of shallow water reeffish in the Caribbean, about 180 are landed and used in quantity throughout the region and collectively comprise the most important fishery in the islands. The FMP's management unit includes the 64 most commonly landed species (distributed among 14 families) which compose the bulk of the catch from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The FMP established regulations to rebuild declining reeffish species in the fishery and reduce conflicts among fishermen. It established criteria for the construction of fish traps; required owner identification and marking of gear and boats; prohibited the hauling of or tampering with another person's traps without the owner ' s writ ten consent; prohibited the use of poisons, drugs , other chemicals and explosives for the taking of reeffish; established a minimum size limit on the harvest of yellowtail snapper and Nassau grouper; and established a closed season for the taking of Nassau grouper.