Spiny Lobster Amendment 10

586 Pages·2011·7.87 MB·English

8/1/2011

FINAL
AMENDMENT 10 TO THE FISHERY MANAGEMENT PLAN
FOR SPINY LOBSTER IN THE GULF OF MEXICO AND
SOUTH ATLANTIC
Including Final Environmental Impact Statement, Regulatory
Impact Review, and Regulatory Flexibility Act Analysis

August 2011

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council South Atlantic Fishery Management Council
2203 North Lois Avenue 4055 Faber Place Drive
Suite 1100 Suite 201
Tampa, FL 33607 North Charleston, SC 29405
813-348-1630 Phone [phone] Phone
813-348-1711 Fax [phone] Fax
www.gulfcouncil.org www.safmc.net

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
National Marine Fisheries Service
Southeast Regional Office
263 13th Avenue South
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701
727-824-5305 Phone
727-824-5308 Fax
http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov

This is a publication of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council Pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award
No. NA10NMF4410011 and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Pursuant to NOAA Award No. FNA05NMF4410004
This page intentionally left blank
ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS DOCUMENT

ABC acceptable biological catch
ACL annual catch limit
ACT annual catch target
AM accountability measure
APA Administrative Procedure Act
B Biomass
B Biomass at MSY
MSY
CEA Cumulative Effects Analysis
CEQ Council on Environmental Quality
CFMC Caribbean Fishery Management Council
CFR Code of Federal Regulations
Councils Gulf of Mexico Fishery and South Atlantic Management Councils
CPUE catch per unit effort
CWA Clean Water Act
CZMA Coastal Zone Management Act
DQA Data Quality Act
EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone
EFH Essential Fish Habitat
EIS Environmental Impact Statement
EJ Environmental Justice
EO Executive Order
EPA Environmental Protection Agency
ESA Endangered Species Act
F instantaneous fishing mortality rate
FAC Florida Administrative Code
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization (United Nations)
FIS Fishery Impact Statement
FKNMS Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
FMP fishery management plan
F Fishing Mortality Rate Yielding MSY
MSY
FMU fishery management unit
FWC Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
FWRI Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
FWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service
GC general counsel
GMFMC Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council
Gulf Gulf of Mexico
IRFA initial regulatory flexibility analysis
M instantaneous natural mortality rate
Magnuson-Stevens Act Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
MBTA Migratory Bird Treaty Act
MFMT Maximum Fishing Mortality Threshold
MMPA Marine Mammal Protection Act
mp million pounds
MPA Marine Protected Area
MRFSS Marine Recreational Fishery Statistics Survey
SPINY LOBSTER AMENDMENT 10 i ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS
MRIP Marine Recreational Information Program
MSST Minimum Stock Size Threshold
MSY maximum sustainable yield
NEPA National Environmental Policy Act
NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service
NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NOAA Fisheries Same as NMFS
OFL overfishing limit
OMB Office of Management and Budget
OY optimum yield
PRA Paperwork Reduction Act
RA Regional Administrator of NMFS
RFA Regulatory Flexibility Act
RIR regulatory impact review
RSE restricted species endorsement
SAFMC South Atlantic Fishery Management Council
SBA Small Business Administration
Secretary Secretary of Commerce
SEDAR Southeast Data Assessment Review (stock assessment
SEFSC Southeast Fisheries Science Center of NMFS
SFA Sustainable Fisheries Act
SoVI Social Vulnerability Index
SPL saltwater products license (FL)
SPR spawning potential ratio
SRCL Special Recreational Crawfish License
SSB spawning stock biomass
SSBR spawning stock biomass per recruit
SSC Scientific and Statistical Committee
TED turtle excluder device
TCP trap certification program
USCG United States Coast Guard
VEC valued environmental component
ww whole weight

SPINY LOBSTER AMENDMENT 10 ii ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS
AMENDMENT 10 TO THE FISHERY MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR SPINY LOBSTER
IN THE GULF OF MEXICO AND SOUTH ATLANTIC REGIONS

INCLUDING A FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (FEIS),
REGULATORY IMPACT REVIEW (RIR), REGULATORY FLEXIBILITY ACT
ANALYSIS (RFA)

Proposed actions: Establish annual catch limits and accountability
measures for Caribbean spiny lobster; remove
several other species of lobster from the FMP;
redefine biological reference points; update the
framework process; and establish or modify other
management measures.

Lead agency: FMP Amendment – Gulf of Mexico and South
Atlantic Fishery Management Councils
EIS - NOAA Fisheries Service

For Further Information Contact: Stephen A. Bortone, Ph.D.
Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council
2203 N. Lois Avenue, Suite 1100
Tampa, FL 33607
[phone] (Phone)
[phone] (Toll Free)
[email protected]
Website: www.gulfcouncil.org

Robert K. Mahood
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council
4055 Faber Place, Suite 201
North Charleston, SC 29405
(866) SAFMC-10
[email protected]
Website: www.safmc.net

Roy E. Crabtree, Ph.D.
NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Region
263 13th Avenue South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
[phone]
[email protected]
Website: www.nmfs.noaa.gov

NOI for Amendment 10: 1/28/09 (74 FR 4943) – SAFMC
9/1/09 (74 FR 45182) – GMFMC

SPINY LOBSTER AMENDMENT 10 iii EIS COVER SHEET
Scoping meetings held: SAFMC as part of Comp. ACL Amendment
(1/26/09 in Charleston, SC; 1/27/09 in New Bern,
NC; 2/3/09 in Key Largo, FL; 2/4/09 in Cape
Canaveral, FL and 2/5/09 in Pooler, GA)
GMFMC (9/21/09 in Key West, FL and 9/22/09 in
Marathon, FL)

NOI for EIS: 3/12/10 (75 FR 11843)
Public Hearings held: 4/11-20/11 (76 FR 16730)
Public Hearings held: 5/9/2011 (76 FR 20957)
DEIS filed: 4/8/11
DEIS notice published: 4/15/11_(76 FR 21345)
DEIS Comments received by: 6/1/11

Abstract
Revisions to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Management and Conservation Act in 2006 require
that fishery management plans contain annual catch limits and accountability measures for all
managed species to prevent overfishing. Annual catch limits must be set at levels that prevent
overfishing and do not exceed the recommendations of the respective Councils’ Scientific and
Statistical Committees for acceptable biological catch. Species in a fishery management plan not
subject to overfishing should have annual catch limits and accountability measures effective in
2011. No species in the spiny lobster fishery management unit are known to be undergoing
overfishing. Amendment 10 to the Fishery Management Plan for Spiny Lobster in the Gulf of
Mexico and South Atlantic contains the following actions by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery
Management Council and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council: Removing species
from the fishery management plan (i.e., smoothtail spiny lobster, spotted spiny lobster, Spanish
slipper lobster, and ridged slipper lobster); defining or modifying biological reference points
(i.e., maximum sustainable yield, overfishing, and overfished thresholds); considering sector
allocations; specifying an acceptable biological catch control rule; setting annual catch limits
and annual catch targets; establishing accountability measures; updating the framework
procedure and protocol for enhanced cooperative management; modifying or removing the
allowance of undersized lobsters as bait in commercial traps; modifying or removing tailing
permit regulations; and determining authority to remove derelict or abandoned spiny lobster traps
from federal waters off Florida. This amendment also explored two additional actions pertaining
to protected resources: one was limiting fishing areas to protect threatened staghorn and elkhorn
corals (Acropora spp.) and the other was trap line marking requirements for the commercial
sector. The Councils decided to take no action in this amendment, and will address them in a
separate amendment to allow more time for stakeholder input.
SPINY LOBSTER AMENDMENT 10 iv EIS COVER SHEET
TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT

Abstract ........................................................................................................................ iv

Summary .................................................................................................................... S-1

Purpose and need ...........................................................................................................5

Alternatives ..................................................................................................................10

Affected environment ..................................................................................................63

Environmental consequences .....................................................................................119

List of preparers .........................................................................................................212

List of agencies, organizations, and persons
to whom copies of the statement are sent ...............................................................213

Index ..........................................................................................................................227
SPINY LOBSTER AMENDMENT 10 v EIS COVER SHEET
TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS DOCUMENT ....................................................................... i 
TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT ...................v 
LIST OF TABLES ...........................................................................................................................x 
LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... xi 
LIST OF PREFERRED ALTERNATIVES ................................................................................ xiii 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................... S-1 
1.0  INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................1 
1.1  Background .......................................................................................................................1 
1.2  Purpose Statement .............................................................................................................5 
1.3  Need for the Proposed Action ...........................................................................................5 
1.4  Management History .........................................................................................................6 
2.0  MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVES .............................................................................10 
2.1  Action 1: Other species in the Spiny Lobster Fishery Management Plan (FMP) ...........10 
2.2  Action 2: Modify the Current Definitions of Maximum Sustainable Yield,
Overfishing Threshold, and Overfished Threshold for Caribbean Spiny Lobster ..........18 
2.2.1  Action 2-1: Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) ...................................................18 
2.2.2  Action 2-2: Overfishing Threshold (Maximum Fishing Mortality Threshold) ......18 
2.2.3  Action 2-3: Overfished Threshold (Minimum Stock Size Threshold) ...................19 
2.3  Action 3: Establish Sector Allocations for Caribbean Spiny Lobster in State and
Federal Waters from North Carolina through Texas ......................................................23 
2.4  Action 4: Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) Control Rule, ABC Level(s),
Annual Catch Limits, and Annual Catch Targets for Caribbean Spiny Lobster ............25 
2.4.1  Action 4-1: Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) Control Rule ..............................25 
2.4.2  Action 4-2: Set Annual Catch Limits (ACLs) for Caribbean Spiny Lobster ..........30 
2.4.3  Action 4-3: Set Annual Catch Targets (ACTs) for Caribbean Spiny Lobster ........31 
2.5  Action 5: Accountability Measures (AMs) by Sector ....................................................33 
2.6  Action 6: Develop or Update a Framework Procedure and Protocol for Enhanced
Cooperative Management for Spiny Lobster ..................................................................36 
2.7  Action 7: Modify Regulations Regarding Possession and Handling of Short
Caribbean Spiny Lobsters as “Undersized Attractants” .................................................49 
2.8  Action 8: Modify Tailing Requirements for Caribbean Spiny Lobster for Vessels
that Obtain a Tailing Permit ............................................................................................52 
2.9  Action 9: Limit Spiny Lobster Fishing in Certain Areas in the EEZ off Florida to
Protect Threatened Staghorn and Elkhorn Corals (Acropora spp.) ................................54 
2.10  Action 10: Require Gear Markings so all Spiny Lobster Trap Lines in the EEZ off
Florida are Identifiable ....................................................................................................57 
2.11  Action 11: Authority to Remove Derelict or Abandoned Spiny Lobster Traps
Found in the EEZ off Florida ..........................................................................................60 
3.0  AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT ......................................................................................63 
3.1  Description of the Fishery ...............................................................................................63 
3.1.1 Caribbean Spiny Lobster – Commercial Fishery ..........................................................63 
3.1.2 Other Federal Laws and Regulations that Protect Spiny Lobster .................................64 
3.1.3 Caribbean Spiny Lobster – Recreational Fishery .........................................................70 
3.1.4 Other spiny lobster species ...........................................................................................74 
SPINY LOBSTER AMENDMENT 10 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS
3.1.5 Slipper lobster species...................................................................................................75 
3.2  Physical Environment .....................................................................................................78 
3.3  Biological Environment ..................................................................................................80 
3.3.1  Lobster species .........................................................................................................80 
3.3.2  Protected Species .....................................................................................................89 
3.4  Economic Environment ...................................................................................................93 
3.4.1  Commercial Fishery .................................................................................................93 
3.4.2  Recreational Fishery ................................................................................................99 
3.5  Social Environment .......................................................................................................101 
3.5.1 Environmental Justice (EJ) ........................................................................................117 
3.6  Administrative Environment .........................................................................................117 
3.6.1  Federal Fishery Management .................................................................................117 
3.6.2  State Fishery Management .....................................................................................118 
4.0  ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES ...................................................................119 
4.1  Action 1: Other species in the Spiny Lobster Fishery Management Plan (FMP) .........119 
4.1.1  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Physical and Biological/Ecological
Environments .........................................................................................................119 
4.1.2  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Economic Environment .....................................121 
4.1.3  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Social Environment ...........................................124 
4.1.4  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Administrative Environment .............................124 
4.1.5  Council Conclusions ..............................................................................................124 
4.2  Action 2: Modify the Current Definitions of Maximum Sustainable Yield,
Overfishing Threshold, and Overfished Threshold for Caribbean Spiny Lobster ........125 
Action 2-1: Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) ...............................................................125 
Action 2-2: Overfishing Threshold (Maximum Fishing Mortality Threshold) ..................125 
Action 2-3: Overfished Threshold (Minimum Stock Size Threshold) ...............................126 
4.2.1  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Physical and Biological/Ecological
Environments .........................................................................................................126 
4.2.2  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Economic Environment .....................................127 
4.2.3  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Social Environment ...........................................128 
4.2.4  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Administrative Environment .............................129 
4.2.5  Council Conclusions ..............................................................................................129 
4.3  Action 3: Establish Sector Allocations for Caribbean Spiny Lobster in State and
Federal Waters from North Carolina through Texas ....................................................130 
4.3.1  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Physical and Biological/Ecological
Environments .........................................................................................................130 
4.3.2  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Economic Environment .....................................133 
4.3.3  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Social Environment ...........................................135 
4.3.4  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Administrative Environment .............................136 
4.3.5  Council Conclusions ..............................................................................................136 
4.4  Action 4: Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) Control Rule, ABC Level(s),
Annual Catch Limits, and Annual Catch Targets for Caribbean Spiny Lobster ..........137 
Action 4-1: Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) Control Rule ..........................................137 
Action 4-2: Set Annual Catch Limits (ACLs) for Caribbean Spiny Lobster ......................137 
Action 4-3: Set Annual Catch Targets (ACTs) for Caribbean Spiny Lobster ....................137 
SPINY LOBSTER AMENDMENT 10 vii TABLE OF CONTENTS
4.4.1 Direct and Indirect Effects on the Physical and Biological/Ecological
Environments .........................................................................................................138 
4.4.2  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Economic Environment .....................................139 
4.4.3  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Social Environment ...........................................142 
4.4.4  Direct and Indirect Effects on the Administrative Environment ...........................143 
4.4.5  Council Conclusions ..............................................................................................144 
4.5  Action 5: Accountability Measures (AMs) by Sector ..................................................144 
4.5.1  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Physical and Biological/Ecological
Environments .........................................................................................................145 
4.5.2  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Economic Environment .....................................149 
4.5.3  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Social Environment ...........................................149 
4.5.4  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Administrative Environment .............................151 
4.5.5  Council Conclusions ..............................................................................................151 
4.6  Action 6: Develop or Update a Framework Procedure and Protocol for Enhanced
Cooperative Management for Spiny Lobster ................................................................152 
4.6.1  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Physical and Biological/Ecological
Environments .........................................................................................................152 
4.6.2  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Economic Environment .....................................153 
4.6.3  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Social Environment ...........................................153 
4.6.4  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Administrative Environment .............................154 
4.6.5  Council Conclusions ..............................................................................................154 
4.7  Action 7: Modify Regulations Regarding Possession and Handling of Short
Caribbean Spiny Lobsters as “Undersized Attractants” ...............................................155 
4.7.1  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Physical and Biological/Ecological
Environments .........................................................................................................155 
4.7.2  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Economic Environment .....................................160 
4.7.3  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Social Environment ...........................................162 
4.7.4  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Administrative Environment .............................163 
4.7.5  Council Conclusions ..............................................................................................163 
4.8   Action 8: Modify Tailing Requirements for Caribbean Spiny Lobster for Vessels
that Obtain a Tailing Permit ..........................................................................................164 
4.8.1  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Physical and Biological/Ecological
Environments .........................................................................................................164 
4.8.2  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Economic Environment .....................................168 
4.8.3  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Social Environment ...........................................173 
4.8.4  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Administrative Environment .............................173 
4.8.5  Council Conclusions ..............................................................................................173 
4.9  Action 9: Limit Spiny Lobster Fishing in Certain Areas in the EEZ off Florida to
Protect Threatened Staghorn and Elkhorn Corals (Acropora spp.) ..............................174 
4.9.1  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Physical and Biological/Ecological
Environments .........................................................................................................174 
4.9.2  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Economic Environment .....................................176 
4.9.3  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Social Environment ...........................................178 
4.9.4  Direct and Indirect Effect on the Administrative Environment .............................178 
4.9.5  Council Conclusions ..............................................................................................179 
SPINY LOBSTER AMENDMENT 10 viii TABLE OF CONTENTS