Amendment No. 4 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Stone Crab Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico and the South Atlantic.

This Amendment to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) concerning stone crab fishery in the U.S. Fishery Conservation Zone (FCZ) of the Gulf of Mexico under the jurisdiction of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council contains: provisions for adding a scientifically measurable definition of overfishing and an action plan to arrest overfishing, should it occur, as required by the Magnuson Act National Standards (50 CFR 602); a section on vessel safety considerations; and a revised habitat section as required by the Magnuson Act (Appendix A Description of Stone Crab Habitat) This habitat protection policy of the Council shall be supported by three objectives: 1. Maintain the current quantity and productive capacity of habitats supporting important commercial and recreational fisheries, including their food base (this objective may be accomplished through the recommendation of no loss and minimization of environmental degradation of existing habitat); 2. Restore and rehabilitate the productive capacity of habitats which have already been degraded; and 3. create ad develop productive habitats where increased fishery productivity will benefit. To achieve these goals the Council has formed a Habitat Protection Committee and Advisory Panels.