SAFMC Votes 12-1 to Restore Access to Historic Shrimp Fishing Grounds
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC or Council) has voted to give final approval to Coral Amendment 11/Shrimp Amendment 12, with a decisive 12-1 vote in favor of reopening coral-free areas that were incorrectly closed to rock shrimp fishing. Pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the Amendments are expected to be approved and implemented by the Secretary of Commerce in the coming weeks.
The Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) commends the Council for this action, which will restore access to historically important rock shrimp fishing grounds through a Shrimp Fishery Access Area (SFAA). On July 29, 2025, and again on January 26, 2026, SSA filed formal comments supporting the Council’s Preferred Alternative 2, which formed the basis of this decision. It urges swift approval of the science-based amendments that will provide much-needed relief to the American shrimp industry while maintaining appropriate protections for coral habitat.
Issue Background
As SSA has explained in more than a decade of comments submitted ot the Council and NMFS, South Atlantic shrimpers have demonstrated unwavering dedication to preserving coral ecosystems by employing advanced WinPlot™ navigation systems that enable precise tracking of trawl positions, ensuring nets remain over the sandy seafloor while steering clear of coral formations. The industry has consistently advocated for science-based coral conservation, recognizing that responsible fishing practices pose minimal risk to these marine habitats.
Despite this commitment, the 2014 passage of Coral Amendment 8 resulted in sweeping closures of productive rock shrimp grounds. These restrictions were implemented even though comprehensive scientific studies and legal reviews had documented the absence of coral. Resource managers acknowledged that mapping inaccuracies led to the unwarranted exclusion of shrimpers from waters they had sustainably fished for generations.
Scientific Evidence Supports Reopening
A full decade after shrimpers were denied access to traditional shrimping grounds, conclusive oceanographic research verifies that coral structures are absent from the proposed SFAA under Preferred Alternative 2. Comprehensive habitat mapping expeditions by the SFMSC in 2022 and aboard the NOAA Shimp Nancy Foster in 2025 found no evidence of living coral colonies, dead coral stands, or even fragmented coral debris anywhere within the boundaries of the proposed SFAA. These findings represent the most current and rigorous scientific data available, fulfilling the Magnuson-Stevens Act’s requirement for management decisions based on the “best scientific information available” and vindicating the rock shrimp industry’s position throughout the process. The approved alternative establishes adequate spatial separation to safeguard the Oculina formation situated west of the SFAA while simultaneously reopening vital fishing areas that have sustained shrimping families and communities for generations.
“This has been a long and exhausting effort to make a small but significant correction that should have happened 13 years ago. The Council has shown that it is willing to correct for errors, even in the face of incredible backlash from the coral protection and environmental protection communities,” explains Mike Merrifield, chair of the Council’s Deepwater Shrimp Advisory Panel and a multi-generational rock shrimp fisherman with Cape Canaveral Shrimp Company. “The fishermen have no interest in destroying the very environment that supports their existence. They have been avoiding the coral long before the OHAPC was established. There was no need to remove valuable, historic fishing ground.”
Actions Consistent with Presidential Action
American shrimpers continue to face severe economic hardship, operating under some of the world’s most stringent conservation and production standards while illegal and poorly regulated foreign producers gain broad access to U.S. markets, undercutting domestic fishermen with low-cost, unethically produced shrimp. In response to the growing seafood trade deficit and the excessive regulatory burden placed on American fisheries, President Trump issued the Executive Order on Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness in April 2025. It directs Regional Fishery Management Councils to “improve access, enhance economic profitability, and prevent closures” in consultation with stakeholders, while adhering to the established U.S. conservation laws.
The Council’s actions to restore access to historically productive rock shrimp fishing areas that were unnecessarily restricted align with the intent of the Executive Order by providing critical economic relief to U.S. shrimpers, reducing regulatory overreach, and maintaining high conservation standards for coral.
“The Southern Shrimp Alliance greatly appreciates the Council’s decision to protect the Oculina coral banks and reopen coral-free shrimping grounds,” said Blake Price, deputy director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance. “This science-based decision reopens sustainable fishing grounds that were wrongly closed for over a decade, giving consumers more access to American rock shrimp caught under strict environmental standards.”
Additional Resources
Read SSA’s January 21, 2026 comments: https://shrimpalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/SSA-comments-on-Coral-Amendment-11-Shrimp-Amendment-12-0121-2026-Final.pdf,