NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office

Marine reserves

Poster

2005

NOAA Fisheries has implemented regulations which prohibit most fishing at two sites in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico: Madison-Swanson and Steamboat Lumps. The regulations for these approximate 219 nautical square miles of marine reserve will remain in effect through June 16, 2010, if not revised or renewed. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council proposed these regulations in part to protect reef fish at these sites and to study the potential effects of such closed areas on populations in the Gulf. The more restrictive fishing regulations between November and April provide additional protection to grouper during the spawning season.

FY2004 CRCP Project ID 1459; Project Title: Getting the Word Out - Madison-Swanson and Steamboat Lumps MPAs; Principal Investigator: Jennifer C. Schull