The Gulf Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a four-day meeting to consider actions affecting the Gulf of America fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION:
Notice of hybrid meeting open to the public offering both in-person and virtual options for participation.
SUMMARY:
The Gulf Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold a four-day meeting to consider actions affecting the Gulf of America fisheries in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
DATES:
The meeting will convene Monday, August 24, 2026 through Thursday, August 27, 2026. Daily schedule: Monday through Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., CDT and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., CDT.
ADDRESSES:
The meeting will take place at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino, located at 151 Beach Boulevard, Biloxi, MS 39530. If you prefer to “listen in,” you may access the log-on information by visiting our website at
www.gulfcouncil.org.
Council address:
Gulf Fishery Management Council, 4107 W Spruce Street, Suite 200, Tampa, FL 33607; telephone: (813) 348-1630.
The meeting will begin with the induction of reappointed Council members, followed by the Administrative/Budget Committee's review and discussion of the Final 2026 Funded Budget and Activities, the future funding cycle, timing of funding releases, and Council planning.
The Shrimp Committee will review the July 2026 Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) Meeting Summary and Recommendations and receive a status update from the Working Group to Address Interactions and Bycatch of Protected Resources in Shrimp Trawls.
The Gulf Southeast Data Assessment and Review (SEDAR) Committee will receive the July 2026 SEDAR Steering Committee Summary Report. The Ecosystem Committee will review the contractor report, Identification of Stakeholder-Driven Fishery Ecosystem Issues. The Data Collection Committee will review and discuss Final Action for the Generic Amendment: Modifications to the Gulf For-hire Data Collection Program and receive a presentation on the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP)-Fishing Effort Survey (FES) Pilot Study Results.
Tuesday, August 25, 2026; 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., CDT
The meeting will begin with a litigation update, followed by the Reef Fish Committee's review of draft options for Reef Fish Amendment 64: Delegate Federal For-hire Red Snapper Management to Gulf States and for Management Flexibility for the Federal For-hire component of the Red Snapper fishery.
( printed page 46898)
The committee will also review a draft of Modifications to Red Snapper Private Recreational Post-Season Accountability Measures and the July 2026 SSC Meeting Summary and Recommendations.
Following lunch, the committee will review draft Reef Fish Amendment 59A: Permit Requirements in Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) Programs and discuss decision points for Red Snapper Catch Limits and Allocations.
The committee will review Public Hearing draft—Reef Fish Amendment 55/Snapper Grouper Amendment 44: Mutton Snapper and Yellowtail Snapper Management Measures and Discuss any Exempted Fishing Permits.
Wednesday, August 26, 2026; 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., CDT
The Reef Fish Committee will reconvene to receive an overview titled “Understanding Catch Per Unit Effort from Fishery-Independent and Fishery-Dependent Indices of Relative Abundance,” followed by presentations on the Gulf Fishery-Independent Survey of Habitat and Ecosystem Resources (G-FISHER) Composite Video Index and the Red Grouper Commercial Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) Index.
The Sustainable Fisheries Committee will discuss the Five-Year Standardized Bycatch Reporting methodology.
At approximately 11:15 a.m., CDT the Council will convene with the Call to Order, Announcements and Introductions, Adoption of the Agenda, and Approval of Minutes.
The Council will receive updates from supporting agencies, including the South Atlantic Council Liaison, Mississippi Law Enforcement, NOAA Office of Law Enforcement (OLE), Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Department of State.
The Council will receive a presentation Celebrating 50 Years of Magnuson-Steven Fishery Conservation and Management Act in the Gulf, followed by public testimony beginning at 2 p.m.-5 p.m., CDT for public comment on Final Action-Generic Amendment: Modifications to Gulf For-hire Data Collection Program and Exempted Fishing Permits; and any Open Testimony on other Fishery Issues or Concerns.
Thursday, August 27, 2026; 8:30 a.m.-3:15 p.m., CDT
The Council will receive reports from the Administrative/Budget, Shrimp, Gulf SEDAR, Ecosystem, Data Collection, Sustainable Fisheries, and Reef Fish Committees.
The Council will also receive an update on documents transmitted for Rule Making, discuss Council Planning and Primary Activities, and consider any other business.
The meeting will conclude with the election of the Council Chair and Vice-Chair for the 2026-2027 term.
Meeting Adjourns
This meeting will be conducted in a hybrid format, with both in-person and virtual participation options available. Members of the public may register to listen to the meeting via webinar by visiting
www.gulfcouncil.org
and selecting the Council meeting from the calendar.
The timing and order of agenda items are subject to change to accommodate the needs of the Council. The most current agenda and all meeting materials will be posted on the Council's website as they become available.
Although non-emergency issues not included in this notice may come before the Council for discussion, in accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, those issues may not be the subject of formal Council action. Formal action will be limited to those issues specifically identified in this notice and any issues arising after publication that require emergency action under Section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, provided the public has been notified of the Council's intent to take final action to address the emergency.
Special Accommodations
These meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids or accommodations should be directed to Kathy Pereira at (813) 348-1630 at least 15 days prior to the meeting.