Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic; 2014 Commercial Accountability Measure and Closure for the South Atlantic Porgy Complex

NMFS implements accountability measures (AMs) for the commercial porgy complex in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the South Atlantic. In the South Atlantic, the porgy complex includes jolthead porgy, knobbed porgy, whitebone porgy, scup, and saucereye porgy. Commercial landings for the porgy complex, as estimated by the Science and Research Director (SRD), are projected to reach the commercial annual catch limit (ACL) on December 6, 2014. Therefore, NMFS closes the commercial sector for the porgy complex in the South Atlantic EEZ on December 9, 2014, and it will remain closed until the start of the next fishing year, January 1, 2015. This closure is necessary to protect the porgy complex resource.