NOAA Fisheries requests your comments on new criteria used to inform Gulf of Mexico reef fish and red drum management. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council recommended these criteria changes for two amendments, Amendment 48 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico and Amendment 5 to the FMP for the Red Drum Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico (Amendments 48/5).
Comments are due by May 9, 2022.
 Summary of Proposed Criteria Changes:
- The Gulf Council recommended changes to values or proxies used to determine if overfishing has occurred, or if the stock or stock complex is overfished for some reef fish species and red drum.
- Overfishing means too many fish are being harvested from a population.
- Overfished means that the population is too low.
- Gulf reef fish stocks and stock complexes affected by this action are: cubera snapper, lane snapper, mutton snapper, yellowtail snapper, hogfish, goliath grouper, the shallow-water grouper complex, the deep-water grouper complex, the tilefish complex, the jacks complex, and the mid-water snapper complex.
 How to Comment On the Notice of Availability:
The comment period for the notice of availability is open now through May 9, 2022. You may submit comments by electronic submission or by postal mail. Comments sent by any other method (such as e-mail), to any other address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, may not be considered by NOAA Fisheries.
Formal Federal Register Name/Number:  87 FR 13274, published March 9, 2022.
Electronic Submissions:Â Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal.
- Go to: https://www.regulations.gov/ and enter ‘‘NOAA–NMFS–2021–0023’’ in the Search box
- Click the “Comment Now!” icon, complete the required fields.
- Enter or attach your comments.
Mail:Â Submit written comments to Peter Hood, Southeast Regional Office, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
