Gulf Council is said to convene its SEDAR Panel to conduct update assessments of the SEDAR 10 gag stock assessment and the SEDAR 12 red grouper stock assessment. It is informed that an update assessment is a single workshop that uses the assessment models and input parameters from the previous full SEDAR stock assessment, as well as updated data streams in order to update the results of the previous full assessment.
Gulf Council told that the SEDAR 10 gag assessment was completed in 2006 and was re-evaluated in May 2007 with corrections to recreational bycatch estimates. The assessment concluded that, as of 2004, the gag stock was undergoing overfishing. The SEDAR 12 red grouper assessment was completed in 2007 and concluded that the stock had recovered from a previously overfished condition.
It is said that the SEDAR Panel will meet at the NMFS office on March 30, 2009 and concluded on April 2, 2009. Gulf Council said that although other issues not on the agenda may come before the SEDAR for discussion, in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, those issues may not be the subject of formal panel action during this meeting.
