Eight new no-fishing zones go into effect February 12 along the Atlantic Coast, from North Carolina to the Florida Keys. The eight Type 2 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) include three off the Florida coast, with the other five ranging from Savannah, Georgia to Cape Fear, North Carolina. Type 2 MPAs are restricted from bottom fishing for snapper, grouper and tilefish species; trolling is permitted.

Off Florida, the northeastern no-fishing area was designated off Jacksonville. The Lat./Long. numbers read: northwest corner at 30°29’N, 80°14’W; the northeast corner at 30°29’N, 80°2’ W; the southwest corner at 30°19’N, 80°14’W; and the southeast corner at 30°19’N, 80°2’W. This area encompasses a 10-by-10 nautical-mile radius and sits about 60 miles from the mouth of the St. Johns River.

Near Martin and St. Lucie counties sits the St. Lucie Hump MPA about 9 miles from St. Lucie Inlet. The Lat./Long. coordinates read: northwest corner at 27°8’N, 80°W; the northeast corner at 27°8’N, 79°58’W; the southwest corner at 27°4’N, 80°W; and the southeast corner at 27°4’N, 79°58’W. This area does not include most of the well-known Push Button Hill numbers.

Lastly, the East Hump/Un-named Hump is 3 nautical miles southeast of Long Key. Close to the Islamorada Hump, this site’s depths range from 636 feet to 971 feet deep. Latitude and longitude coordinates read: northwest corner at 24°36.5’N, 80°45.5’W; the northeast corner at 24°32’N, 80°36’W; the southwest corner at 24°32.5’N, 80°48’W; and the southeast corner at 24°27.5’N, 80°38.5’W.

All the MPAs range from close to 200 feet of water to more than 900. All fishing for snappers, groupers (speckled hind, snowy grouper, warsaw grouper, yellow-edge grouper, misty grouper), tilefishes (golden tilefish, and blueline tilefish), grunts, porgies, and sea bass is prohibited throughout the protected areas.

“Marine protected areas are designed to provide long-term protection for our nation’s natural resources,” said Jim Balsiger, acting NOAA assistant administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries Service. “These areas of the South Atlantic were chosen because they feature known spawning grounds and nursery habitats for deep-water fish – especially for snappers and groupers.”

But many fishers feel perplexed and angered by the final decision to implement the no-bottom-fishing zones to include recreational anglers; especially because of the negligible impact family-level fishing has on bottom-fish species compared to commercial fishermen.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) submitted Amendment 14 (of the South Atlantic Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan) to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service for review, approval and implementation. The submitted provisions of Amendment 14 were approved and will be effective February 12; provisions included the eight no-fishing zones.