New catch limits for Southeast coast to be discussed in Charleston

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The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is meeting in Charleston on Tuesday to consider annual catch limits for species of fish caught off of the Southeast coast.

In a report released last month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that 40 stocks of fish are overfished in U.S. waters. Those include species such as cod in the Northeast and red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico and off the Southeast.

The federal government has been working to prevent overfishing of the nation's seafood, and if catch limits are approved, would regulate fishing between 3 and 200 miles offshore from North Carolina to Florida. 

For fishermen, catch limits are foe, not friend. That is why the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will be opening up the floor at 8:30 a.m. to public comments on:

  • The joint GMFMC/SAFMC Mackerel Amendment 18 
  • The Comprehensive ACL Amendment 
  • Snapper Grouper Regulatory Amendment 11, followed by public comment regarding any other items on the Council agenda

For those wishing to attend, the meeting will be held at the Charleston Marriott Hotel located at 170 Lockwood Boulevard.

The State has the wire release, which delves deeper into Tuesday's agenda; read it here.

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