FMP Category |
Category as defined by the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council |
Common Name |
American Fisheries Society Common Name |
Scientific Name |
Official scientific name based on most current taxonomic literature. |
Federal Catch and Effort Limits (1-4) |
High level of catch limits (1) scaling to no catch limits (4). Total regulations are the sum of the average number of recreational and average number of commercial regulations per state, which include; minimum size, maximum size and daily/bag limit or quota. Scores for each species are as follows: 1 = 5 or more regulations or a complete fishery closure; 2 = 4 regulations; 3 = 2-3 regulations; 4 = 0-1 regulations. |
Federal Gear Measures (1-4) |
High level of gear restrictions (1) scaling to no limits on gear use (4). Scores for each species as follows: 1 = 0 to 2 allowable gear types or a complete fishery closure; 2 = 3 to 5 allowable gear types; 3 = 6 to 8 allowable gear types; 4 = 9 or more allowable gear types. |
Federal Seasonal Restrictions (1-4) |
High level of spawning season prohibition of take or trade (1) scaling to no restrictions (4). The value is the least restrictive score of recreational and commercial seasonal restrictions. Scores for each species, listed separately for commercial and recreational fisheries, as follows: 1 = closed during entire spawning season or complete fishery closure; 2 = seasonal closure during the peak spawning season; 3 = seasonal closure not during spawning; 4 = none. |
Federal Site Closures (1-4) |
High compliance spatial closure of spawning site (1) scaling to no spatial closures (4). Scores for each species as follows: 1 = site closed all year or complete fishery closure; 2 = seasonal site closures; 3 = gear restrictions; 4 = no regulations. Site closures within state waters are rare and spatially minimal, so they've not been scored. |
State Catch and Effort Limits (1-4) |
Same scoring system as federal but using the average number of regulations across the 5 Gulf states. |
State Gear Measures (1-4) |
Same scoring system as federal but using the average number of allowable gears across the 5 Gulf states. |
State Seasonal Restrictions (1-4) |
Same scoring system as federal except for criteria used for a score of 2; 2 = partial seasonal closure; only part of the spawning season is closed in some or all of the Gulf states. |
State Site Closures (1-4) |
State site closures are few in number and spatially minimal. Therefore, all species received a score of 4 (no regulations). |