As a means of enforcing protection of offshore nurseries, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is considering requiring commercial fishermen to keep satellite monitors onboard so that law enforcement officials can tell whether boats encroach upon marine protected areas.

The council is considering a plan, Amendment 14, to use vessel monitoring systems (VMS) in order to keep snapper and grouper fishing boats out of offshore nursery areas. Currently, only rock shrimp fishing boats are required to maintain VMS onboard. According to a council official, a vote is expected during weeklong Sept. 18-22 meetings on Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Headquartered in Charleston, S.C., the council is responsible for the conservation and management of fish stocks within the federal, 200-mile limit of the Atlantic Ocean off the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and eastern Florida to Key West.