NOAA Fisheries approved Regulatory Amendment 4 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Fishery of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands (Regulatory Amendment 4). Regulatory Amendment 4 establishes minimum size limits for parrotfish harvest in federal waters off St. Croix.
The final rule implementing this amendment published in the Federal Register on July 30, 2013 (78 FR 45894), with an effective date of August 29, 2013.
The final rule for Regulatory Amendment 4 includes:
A commercial and recreational minimum size limit of 8 inches fork length (the distance from the snout of the fish to the fork in the tail) for redband parrotfish (Sparisoma aurofrenatum) in federal waters off St. Croix.
A commercial and recreational minimum size limit of 9 inches fork length for all other allowable parrotfish species in federal waters off St. Croix:
• Redfin parrotfish, Sparisoma rubripinne
• Redtail parrotfish, Sparisoma chrysopterum
• Stoplight parrotfish, Sparisoma viride
• Princess parrotfish, Scarus taeniopterus
• Queen parrotfish, Scarus vetula
• Striped parrotfish, Scarus iserti
No minimum size limits for parrotfish harvest in federal waters off St. Thomas/St. John or Puerto Rico.
Please note that harvest of midnight (Scarus coelestinus), rainbow (Scarus guacamaia), and blue (Scarus coeruleus) parrotfish remains prohibited.
