Grouper Season Closure (Feb. 15-March 15) POLL

[piscivorousfotog]

Please give your input regarding the recently passed interim rule closing all recreation grouper fishing (federal waters) in the Gulf from Feb. 15-March 15, 2007. Poll results and comments (anonymous) may be used in Janaurary edition of Woods 'N Water Magazine.
Thanks for your input,
AP

Less than a year after failing to implement an interim rule closing all grouper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico last November and December, the NOAA Fisheries Service has announced that it will close all recreational grouper fishing in the Gulf from Feb. 15 to March 15, 2007.
On Nov. 17 NOAA published a final rule that will implement a recreational closed season for black, gag and red grouper from Feb. 15 to March 15 beginning in 2007.
Woods ‘N Water received the release on Nov. 21, just before this (December) issue of the magazine was sent to the printer. We will follow up next month with reaction from anglers, guides and captains as well as other affected groups and organizations.
NOAA says that the seasonal closure covers important spawning seasons for black, gag and red grouper and will coincide with the one-month commercial fishery grouper closure.
“Prohibiting harvest of all three species will reduce bycatch and prevent effort from shifting to gag and black grouper as a result of more restrictive recreational red grouper regulations,â€

[Redfish Jim]

I've already posted a long-winded tirade about this on another thread, but these people gall me to no end. So I'll very briefly restate that I think these folks are essentially repeating a mistake they made last year that a Federal court ruled to be unlawful. What really gets me is that they could care less about the costs of litigation since it's not their money they're frittering away. One needs no more evidence of their lack of respect for the public they are supposed to serve than their apparent lie that they delayed implementation of a closure last year due to public concern. As the article points out, they were moving full steam ahead with a closure when the courts ruled this to be unlawful.

Oh, by the way ... I voted no.

[piscivorousfotog]

No word on any legal action to block this new rule. No update on CCA-Florida website.
This is not the end of this story. According to Gulf Fishery News "The (Gulf) Council is also considering the need for ADDITIONAL REDUCTIONS in fishing mortality on gag. The process for developing managment alternatives will provide many opportunities for public participation and input before the council recommends any regulatory changes to NOAA Fisheries Service and the Secretary of Commerce. Also, a new red grouper assessment is scheduled for completion in early 2007"
Go to http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sf/grouper/gomGrouper2.htm or
http://www.sefsc.noaa.gov/sedar/ or
http://www.noaa.nmfs.gov
or
http://www.gulfcouncil.org/ for more info or to submit your input.