SAFA News | The South Atlantic Fishermen's Association

Home » SAFA News

Major Closures Taking Place in September

Posted By: Matthew Ruby | September 10, 2012

September is going to bring hardship to fishermen in the South Atlantic. Our region is about to experience major closures in our fisheries, some that have never closed before.

The National Marine Fisheries Service has announced the closures below, effective September 8^th (Deepwater and Porgy Complexes) and 11^th (Gray triggerfish and Yellowtail snapper):

Complex	Species
Deepwater	Yellowedge grouper, blueline tilefish, silk snapper, misty grouper, queen snapper, sand tilefish, black snapper, blackfin snapper
Gray triggerfish	Gray triggerfish
Porgy	Jolthead, knobbed, saucereye, whitebone, scup
Yellowtail snapper	Yellowtail snapper

These closures will impact fishermen up and down the South Atlantic coast and for some it could keep them off the water until May 1 of next year, a total of 6-7 months without a paycheck. Fishermen in the South Atlantic need help and they need it fast. The outdated management that the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council continues to use isn't working. These closures are expected to result in the movement of South Atlantic fishing vessels to the Gulf of Mexico and other fisheries in an effort to stay in business. Others will look for employment outside the fishing industry. These fishermen may not return.

We need to explore new options for management like the ones being used by commercial snapper and grouper fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico. The Council is meeting next week in Charleston, SC and we demand to hear Council members talking about new solutions, not the same old programs that continue to hurt the fishery.

Join the South Atlantic Fishermen's Association