NOAA Fisheries anticipates the 2013 commercial annual catch limit of 177,506 pounds, whole weight, will be reached by that date.
The operator of a vessel with a federal commercial permit for snapper-grouper landing blue runner for sale must have landed and bartered, traded, or sold such blue runner prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, November 14, 2013.
During the closure, all harvest and possession of blue runner in or from closed federal waters of the South Atlantic is subject to the applicable bag and possession limits, and the sale or purchase of blue runner taken from closed federal waters is prohibited.
In addition, those bag and possession limits apply in state and federal waters of the South Atlantic for a vessel with a valid federal commercial or charter vessel/headboat permit for South Atlantic snapper-grouper.
