The south atlantic fishery management council will review and assess current coral habitat closed areas and fishery regulations to determine if any changes are needed and support a citizen science…

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awarded the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) a Cooperative Agreement valued at $249,272 under the Regional Fishery Management Councils program (CFDA 11.441) for the period October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. SAFMC will review and assess current coral habitat closed areas and fishery regulations to identify necessary modifications and will support the expansion of the "Size Matters: Innovative Lengths Estimates" citizen science project to collect coral reef fish length data. This initiative, implemented in partnership with academic institutions and the Reef Environmental Education Foundation, engages recreational divers to contribute fish length measurements that will inform fishery management decisions and enhance stakeholder communication.

The project will advance the Size Matters initiative beyond its current pilot phase through three key deliverables: streamlining imagery processing and length calculation workflows, demonstrating utility to resource managers and researchers, and expanding citizen science engagement to increase data collection across broader geographic areas and extended time periods. These products directly support SAFMC's mandate to prepare, monitor, and revise fishery management plans and data collection programs within the 200-mile U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone off the southeastern coast.

The south atlantic fishery management council will review and assess current coral habitat closed areas and fishery regulations to determine if any changes are needed and support a citizen science project (size matters: innovative lengths estimates) to collect coral reef fish length data to inform management and increase communication with stakeholders. The size matters project is being implemented in conjunction with academic institutions and reef environmental education foundation, who will work with recreational divers to collect fish length data. This project will move beyond the current pilot phase by (a) streamlining the imagery processing and length calculation workflow, (b) demonstrating utility to resource managers and researchers, and (c) increasing citizen science engagement to collect data across greater spatial and temporal scales.