Management Plan for Queen Conch Fishery in St. Croix, USVI
Regulatory Amendment 2 aims to establish coherent regulations for the commercial and recreational harvest of queen conch in the U.S. Caribbean exclusive economic zone and USVI territorial waters. The proposal addresses the compatibility of commercial trip limits and recreational bag limits to enhance enforcement efforts and ensure consistency in allowed harvest quantities. Modifications to trip and bag limits are suggested to align federal and territorial regulations, with public hearings being held to gather feedback on the proposed changes.
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Regulatory Amendment 2 Queen Conch Fishery Management Plan Compatibility of Commercial Trip Limits and Recreational Bag Limits in the Management Area of St. Croix, USVI PUBLIC HEARING St. Croix March 25, 2013
Queen Conch Harvest USVI Territorial waters Federal waters (in the area east of 64 34' W, bound within the 100-fathom curve, which includes Lang Bank to the east of St. Croix) Open Season : November 1 - May 31 Closed Season: June 1 October 31 STX Territorial/Federal Quota: 50,000 lbs combined state and federal waters 2
Purpose and Need for Action To establish compatible regulations for the commercial and recreational harvest of queen conch between the U.S. Caribbean exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and USVI territorial regulations. Compatibility of regulations will aid in the enforcement of queen conch regulations and enhance compliance by eliminating the inconsistency in the number of queen conch allowed to be possessed on the water. 3
Federal vs. Territorial Management Why is the Council considering Action? Federal USVI (St. Croix) Commercial Trip Limits 150 queen conch per licensed fisherman /day 200 queen conch per vessel /day 3 queen conch per person /day Max. 12 queen conch per vessel /day 6 queen conch per person /day Max. 24 queen conch per vessel /day Recreational Bag Limits 4
Action 1: Modify the trip limit for the commercial harvest of queen conch in the U.S. Caribbean EEZ No Action. No change to current commercial trip limit. No more than 150 queen conch per licensed fisherman per day. Alternative 1 Commercial trip limit compatible with the USVI. No more than 200 queen conch per vessel per day. Alternative 2 No more than 150 queen conch per day if there is one licensed commercial fisherman on board, or no more than 200 queen conch per vessel per day if more than one licensed commercial fisherman is on board. Alternative 3 5
Action 2: Modify the bag limit for the recreational harvest of queen conch in the U.S. Caribbean EEZ 3 queen conch per person per day, no more than 12 queen conch per boat per day Alternative 1 No Action Alternative 2 6 queen conch per person per day, 24 per boat per day Compatible 6 queen conch per person per day, 12 per boat per day Alternative 3 Partially compatible 3 queen conch per person per day, 24 per boat per day Alternative 4 6
Number of queen conch that can be harvested per fisher under each of the proposed alternatives for Action 2. Shaded cells represent instances where the numbers that could be fished is higher than currently allowed in the EEZ. Number of Recreational Fishers 3 4 5 9 12 12 18 24 24 12 12 12 9 12 15 Alternatives 1 3 6 6 3 2 6 12 12 6 6 12 24 12 18 7 12 24 12 21 8 12 24 12 24 > 8 12 24 12 24 1 2 3 4 7
