Amendment No. 31 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico.

This Amendment to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council addresses bycatch of sea turtles in the bottom longline component of the Gulf of Mexico reef fish fishery. Management actions contained in the Amendment include: Longline endorsement requirement (vessels must have average annual reef fish landings related to specified past fishery); reef fish bottom longline fishing is restricted to outside the 35-fathom depth contour from June to August of each year; vessels are limited to 1000 hooks of which no more than 750 of which can be rigged for fishing or fished. National standard 9 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA) requires that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) minimize bycatch and bycatch mortality to the extent practicable. Additionally, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires that the federal government protect and conserve species and populations that are endangered or threatened with extinction, and conserve the ecosystems on which these species depend.