SOUTHEAST FISHERY BULLETIN
(Gulf of Mexico)
FB14-006
Peter Hood
727-824-5305
January 30, 2014
NOAA Fisheries Reminds Fishermen of Changes to the
Recreational Shallow-Water Grouper Closure
NOAA Fisheries reminds fishermen of the change to the February 1 through March 31 shallow-water grouper closure. The closure now only applies to waters seaward of a line approximating 20 fathoms. Shoreward of the line, shallow-water grouper, with the exception of gag, can be retained within the current bag limits and size limits. The gag season does not open until July 1. Shallow-water grouper that can be harvested inshore of the 20-fathom line during the closure include scamp, black grouper, red grouper, yellowfin grouper, and yellowmouth grouper.
Need more information on this topic?
For more information on the closure including a map and coordinates of the line approximating 20 fathoms, visit the Southeast Regional Office's Web page for this action at: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_f ... index.html.
20 Fathoms = 120 feet. Catchemup!!
NOAA Bulletin
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Re: NOAA Bulletin
Well that was nice of them. So really, the only thing that you can keep is Red Grouper. Never caught any of the others in 120ft of water. Sure wish Gag was open...Guess it's better than nothin. Thanks for the update.
Re: NOAA Bulletin
So in less than 120 feet you can't keep gags still but the rest are ok. We regularly catch a couple of scamp, which are the best tasting grouper there is. We've also caught Hind but they are fairly rare. Yes they are throwing us mere crumbs still but at least they didn't take them away this time.
For immediate release: January 27, 2014
Reminder: Gulf grouper recreational season will not close Feb. 1
This is a reminder that the Feb. 1 through March 31 closure that would have affected several species of grouper in Gulf state waters has been removed and will not occur as it has in previous years. This closure was removed at the September 2013 meeting of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
A similar closure was also removed in federal waters shoreward of the 20 fathom line, or about 120 feet (excluding waters off Monroe County). To learn more about the federal closure, visit the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office at Sero.NMFS.NOAA.gov and click on “Fisheries,” “Gulf Fisheries,” “Reef Fish” and “Gag and Shallow-water Grouper Framework – Recreational Season.”
The closure would have applied to the following species: black, red, yellowfin, scamp, yellowmouth, rock hind and red hind.
The closure did not apply to gag grouper, which has its own season and opens April 1 through June 30 in state waters off Franklin, Wakulla, Taylor and Jefferson counties; and from July 1 through Dec. 3 in all other state waters of the Gulf (excluding Monroe County, which is managed under the Atlantic season).
More information regarding Gulf grouper fishing regulations is available online at MyFWC.com/Fishing by clicking on “Saltwater Fishing,” “Recreational Regulations” and “Gulf Grouper.”
For immediate release: January 27, 2014
Reminder: Gulf grouper recreational season will not close Feb. 1
This is a reminder that the Feb. 1 through March 31 closure that would have affected several species of grouper in Gulf state waters has been removed and will not occur as it has in previous years. This closure was removed at the September 2013 meeting of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
A similar closure was also removed in federal waters shoreward of the 20 fathom line, or about 120 feet (excluding waters off Monroe County). To learn more about the federal closure, visit the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office at Sero.NMFS.NOAA.gov and click on “Fisheries,” “Gulf Fisheries,” “Reef Fish” and “Gag and Shallow-water Grouper Framework – Recreational Season.”
The closure would have applied to the following species: black, red, yellowfin, scamp, yellowmouth, rock hind and red hind.
The closure did not apply to gag grouper, which has its own season and opens April 1 through June 30 in state waters off Franklin, Wakulla, Taylor and Jefferson counties; and from July 1 through Dec. 3 in all other state waters of the Gulf (excluding Monroe County, which is managed under the Atlantic season).
More information regarding Gulf grouper fishing regulations is available online at MyFWC.com/Fishing by clicking on “Saltwater Fishing,” “Recreational Regulations” and “Gulf Grouper.”