The daily vessel trip limit is reduced to 500 pounds beginning 12:01 a.m., October 30, 2003, for commercial hook-and-line vessels fishing for Gulf group king mackerel in the northern Florida west coast subzone. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) reduced the trip limit after determining that 126,563 pounds, or 75 percent of the 168,750-pound quota, for this fishery segment had been taken.

The 500-pound trip limit is a daily landing/ possession limit that applies to commercial vessels fishing for king mackerel in the northern Florida west coast subzone. The northern subzone is that part of the Florida west coast subzone that is between 26°19.8' N. lat. (a line directly west from the Lee/Collier County, FL boundary) and 87°31'06' W. long. (a line directly south from the Alabama/Florida boundary).

The 500-pound daily trip limit will remain in effect until the 168,750-pound quota is reached or through the end of the fishing year, June 30, 2004, whichever occurs first. When commercial landings for this fishery segment reach the quota level, the fishery will be closed for the remainder of the 2003/2004 fishing year. The closure will be effective upon filing the notification with the Office of the Federal Register.

A vessel fishing under commercial trip limits and quotas must possess a commercial Federal king mackerel permit. Quotas, trip limits (see reverse side of this bulletin), and permits implemented under the Fishery Management Plan for Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic (FMP) are necessary to protect and rebuild the Gulf group king mackerel resource.