Historical Annual Catch Limit Monitoring under the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan
The preliminary annual landings in the tables below correspond to the fishery management units set under the 2010 and 2011 Annual Catch Limit Amendments to the Caribbean Fishery Management Council’s Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan, effective 1985-2022.
In October 2022, the Puerto Rico Fishery Management Plan, the St. Croix Fishery Management Plan, and the St. Thomas and St. John Fishery Management Plan replaced the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan, the Spiny Lobster Fishery Management Plan, the Corals and Reef Associated Plants and Invertebrates Fishery Management Plan, and the Queen Conch Fishery Management Plan for management of federal fisheries in the U.S. Caribbean region.
Preliminary Commercial Landings and Commercial Annual Catch Limits for Puerto Rico Reef Fish Management Units
Reef Fish Management Unit |
ACL |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
|
Angelfish |
8,984 |
. |
. |
. |
57 |
90 |
. |
. |
. |
|
Boxfish |
86,115 |
48,632 |
35,613 |
38,722 |
41,621 |
38,986 |
33,604 |
40,390 |
42,336 |
|
Goatfish |
17,565 |
11,532 |
5,956 |
7,390 |
7,157 |
6,773 |
4,196 |
6,778 |
4,422 |
|
Groupers |
177,513 |
67,048 |
51,030 |
63,180 |
75,838 |
71,200 |
43,589 |
61,907 |
68,710 |
|
Grunts |
182,396 |
33,723 |
23,243 |
25,162 |
26,357 |
27,652 |
21,001 |
27,049 |
27,595 |
|
Jacks |
86,059 |
50,617 |
32,662 |
41,041 |
49,792 |
39,766 |
31,293 |
38,510 |
61,316 |
|
Parrotfish |
52,737 |
60,156 |
48,593 |
53,910 |
45,599 |
47,122 |
23,114 |
34,962 |
37,555 |
|
Snapper Unit 1 |
284,685 |
204,098 |
138,310 |
215,635 |
203,824 |
243,283 |
225,211 |
223,174 |
340,288 |
|
Snapper Unit 2 |
145,916 |
184,621 |
108,532 |
174,478 |
180,738 |
124,428 |
95,122 |
112,214 |
165,151 |
|
Snapper Unit 3 |
345,775 |
218,288 |
145,512 |
167,467 |
159,898 |
136,043 |
112,625 |
140,861 |
166,997 |
|
Snapper Unit 4 |
373,295 |
209,368 |
131,254 |
193,179 |
178,093 |
188,221 |
126,399 |
150,602 |
165,397 |
|
Scups & Porgies |
24,739 |
32,928 |
18,372 |
18,044 |
16,939 |
18,938 |
14,471 |
19,979 |
17,544 |
|
Squirrelfish |
16,663 |
8,789 |
5,820 |
6,219 |
7,990 |
5,328 |
2,820 |
3,399 |
2,780 |
|
Surgeonfish |
7,179 |
. |
. |
65 |
108 |
. |
112 |
. |
CONF |
|
Triggerfish & Filefish |
58,475 |
76,826 |
64,112 |
71,832 |
71,407 |
66,160 |
40,441 |
57,140 |
56,867 |
|
Wrasses |
54,147 |
68,599 |
48,942 |
60,045 |
54,778 |
54,197 |
31,914 |
71,856 |
59,187 |
* 2020 and later data are not available.
Conf = COnfidential data
Preliminary Recreational Landings and Recreational Annual Catch Limits for Puerto Rico Reef Fish Management Units
Reef FishManagement Unit |
ACL |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
|
Angelfish |
4,492 |
. |
379 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
|
Boxfish |
4,616 |
1,582 |
1,304 |
986 |
7,696 |
1,066 |
. |
|
Goatfish |
362 |
110 |
. |
. |
195 |
. |
. |
|
Groupers |
77,213 |
18,170 |
3,379 |
30,589 |
7,449 |
109,447 |
1,430 |
|
Grunts |
5,028 |
3,343 |
716 |
2,730 |
997 |
5,153 |
113 |
|
Jacks |
51,001 |
58,828 |
34,904 |
81,560 |
48,660 |
194,529 |
17,938 |
|
Parrotfish |
15,263 |
9,732 |
8,728 |
44,736 |
19,394 |
1,315 |
123 |
|
Scups & Porgies |
2,577 |
2,177 |
156 |
5,611 |
- |
18,930 |
655 |
|
Snapper Unit 1 |
95,526 |
41,361 |
25,889 |
24,934 |
24,206 |
35,245 |
18,765 |
|
Snapper Unit 2 |
34,810 |
3,924 |
. |
. |
794 |
12,513 |
. |
|
Snapper Unit 3 |
83,158 |
45,170 |
47,400 |
59,773 |
74,060 |
136,047 |
52,656 |
|
Snapper Unit 4 |
28,509 |
16,266 |
5,018 |
9,365 |
27,864 |
47,108 |
33,619 |
|
Squirrelfish |
3,891 |
330 |
. |
388 |
1,298 |
258 |
- |
|
Surgeonfish |
3,590 |
. |
. |
. |
. |
. |
- |
|
Triggerfish & Filefish |
21,929 |
14,250 |
2,198 |
39,887 |
27,577 |
4,233 |
- |
|
Wrasses |
5,050 |
4,482 |
3,606 |
43,891 |
1,495 |
2,004 |
47 |
* Marine Recreational Information Program surveys were disrupted in 2017, and have not resumed to date.
Preliminary Commercial Landings and Annual Catch Limits for St. Thomas and St. John Reef Fish Management Units
Reef Fish Management Unit |
ACL |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
| Angelfish | 7,897 | 16,077 | 16,204 | 21,106 | 19,457 | 21,600 | 17,512 | 16,547 | 14,309 | 14,838 |
| Boxfish | 27,880 | 12,303 | 10,982 | 11,333 | 11,425 | 10,860 | 7,938 | 5,884 | 5,101 | 5,339 |
| Goatfish | 320 | CONF | CONF | . | CONF | CONF | . | . | . | . |
| Groupers | 51,849 | 41,412 | 38,681 | 38,076 | 33,611 | 43,105 | 35,012 | 31,035 | 34,459 | 37,688 |
| Grunts | 37,617 | 16,113 | 11,566 | 11,701 | 11,862 | 15,501 | 17,947 | 19,981 | 19,549 | 18,655 |
| Jacks | 52,907 | 45,551 | 25,430 | 43,956 | 34,030 | 25,191 | 30,479 | 27,063 | 22,734 | 19,101 |
| Parrotfish | 42,500 | 17,224 | 17,660 | 16,283 | 14,588 | 15,208 | 11,724 | 9,890 | 12,113 | 8,006 |
| Scups & Porgies | 21,819 | 10,112 | 9,433 | 10,388 | 10,224 | 9,205 | 6,583 | 7,135 | 5,622 | 5,318 |
| Snappers | 133,775 | 53,964 | 36,462 | 51,160 | 40,493 | 43,126 | 35,520 | 33,951 | 35,112 | 34,755 |
| Squirrelfish | 4,241 | 9,817 | 9,504 | 9,258 | 7,334 | 8,914 | 5,598 | 6,105 | 5,486 | 5,391 |
| Surgeonfish | 29,249 | 15,093 | 12,580 | 13,184 | 11,460 | 15,751 | 12,727 | 10,679 | 10,443 | 9,481 |
| Triggerfish & Filefish | 74,447 | 46,047 | 45,048 | 51,537 | 51,520 | 52,918 | 39,365 | 42,249 | 36,358 | 42,507 |
| Wrasses | 585 | 1,823 | 1,903 | 2,639 | 2,184 | 2,646 | 2,694 | 2,885 | 2,846 | 3,689 |
Conf = Confidential data
Preliminary Commercial Landings and Annual Catch Limits for St. Croix Reef Fish Fish Management Units
Reef Fish Management Unit |
ACL |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
| Angelfish | 305 | 14,268 | 8,890 | 5,406 | 5,579 | 6,545 | 6,144 | 1,611 | 1,556 | 7,175 |
| Boxfish | 8,433 | 1,822 | 1,755 | 1,047 | 1,132 | 1,505 | 1,431 | 196 | 290 | 455 |
| Goatfish | 3,766 | 534 | 339 | 255 | 174 | 1,507 | 2,332 | 793 | 284 | 3,640 |
| Groupers | 30,435 | 29,866 | 22,977 | 14,182 | 13,575 | 16,645 | 15,106 | 3,124 | 5,386 | 11,966 |
| Grunts | 36,881 | 24,784 | 18,644 | 10,308 | 10,996 | 10,763 | 6,267 | 2,804 | 3,962 | 9,374 |
| Jacks | 15,489 | 8,360 | 14,563 | 4,286 | 4,987 | 4,890 | 3,411 | 1,988 | 1,218 | 3,958 |
| Parrotfish | 240,000 | 118,867 | 107,437 | 75,442 | 86,345 | 90,061 | 69,598 | 17,989 | 21,111 | 61,060 |
| Scups & Porgies | 4,638 | 212 | 96 | 45 | 44 | 387 | 313 | 117 | 142 | 189 |
| Snappers | 102,946 | 67,522 | 65,370 | 44,381 | 44,147 | 52,017 | 40,987 | 11,741 | 15,830 | 34,980 |
| Squirrelfish | 121 | 600 | 490 | 283 | 450 | 480 | 227 | 468 | 476 | 1,982 |
| Surgeonfish | 33,603 | 21,245 | 12,641 | 9,624 | 9,364 | 14,155 | 10,362 | 2,295 | 3,734 | 13,852 |
| Triggerfish & Filefish | 24,980 | 22,658 | 13,950 | 8,831 | 9,242 | 9,857 | 9,630 | 4,427 | 3,151 | 4,687 |
| Wrasses | 7 | CONF | CONF | . | CONF | 269 | 102 | CONF | CONF | 109 |
Conf = Confidential data
Species included in the Reef Fish Management Units
Angelfish: Queen angelfish, gray angelfish, French angelfish
Boxfish: Honeycomb cowfish, scrawled cowfish, trunkfish, spotted trunkfish, smooth trunkfish
Goatfish: Spotted goatfish, yellow goatfish
Groupers: Nassau grouper**, goliath grouper**, coney, graysby, red hind, rock hind, black grouper, red grouper, tiger grouper, yellowfin grouper, misty grouper, yellowedge grouper
Grunts: White grunt, margate, tomtate, bluestriped grunt, French grunt, porkfish
Jacks: Blue runner, horse-eye jack, black jack, almaco jack, bar jack, greater amberjack, yellow jack
Parrotfish: Blue parrotfish**, midnight parrotfish**, rainbow parrotfish**, queen parrotfish, rainbow parrotfish, redfin parrotfish, redtail parrotfish, stoplight parrotfish, redband parrotfish, striped parrotfish
Scups & Porgies: Jolthead porgy, sea bream, sheepshead porgy, pluma
Snapper Unit 1: Black snapper, blackfin snapper, silk snapper, vermilion snapper, wenchman
Snapper Unit 2: Cardinal snapper, queen snapper
Snapper Unit 3: Gray snapper, lane snapper, mutton snapper, dog snapper, schoolmaster, mahogany snapper
Snapper Unit 4: Yellowtail snapper
Squirrelfish: Blackbar soldierfish, bigeye, longspine squirrelfish, squirrelfish
Surgeonfish: Blue tang, ocean surgeonfish, doctorfish
Triggerfish & Filefish: Ocean triggerfish, queen triggerfish, sargassum triggerfish, scrawled filefish, whitespotted filefish, black durgon
Wrasses: Hogfish, puddingwife, Spanish hogfish
** Harvest is prohibited
FOR THE MOST CURRENT FEDERAL REGULATIONS: Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 622 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic