According to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council a series of public hearings to solicit comments on a proposed amendment developed to address the bycatch of hard-shell sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico bottom longline reef fish fishery. The Council said that it is considering a range of actions and alternatives outlined in Public Hearing draft of Amendment 31 to the Reef Fish FMP to mitigate hard-shell sea turtle interactions with bottom longline gear, and it has selected Preferred Actions and Alternatives.
The Council hold the public hearings on May 26, 2009 through June 8, 2009 at six locations throughout the Gulf of Mexico. The public is encouraged to attend and provide suggestions and input, which will be relayed back to the Council before final action. It is notified that all meetings, with the exception of the Madeira Beach meeting, will
begin at 6:00 p.m. and conclude no later than 9:00 p.m. and will be held at different location mentioned in the website of the Council.
It is said that the observer data from the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) clearly states the level of bycatch in the bottom longline fishery exceeds the anticipated take outlined in the 2005 Biological Opinion. The Council operates under mandates to minimize bycatch to the extent practicable and to protect endangered and threatened species. The bycatch reduction and monitoring requirements in the MSFCMA apply to a broad range of living marine species, including sea turtles.
