Gag Grouper To Be SEVERELY Reduced In The Gulf Of Mexico

[Tom Keels]

Can you hear the nails being hammered in the Gulf of Mexico fishing coffin? I just heard that they are proposing a one fish gag grouper daily bag with a five fish aggregate. Closed season will run from from February 15 through May 15 with a distinct possibility that the Middle Grounds will be closed year round.

If you would like to let the Gulf of Fisheries Management Council know how you feel please call their office at 813-348-1630. You can ask for executive director Wayne Swingle at x230 wayne.swingle@gulfcouncil.org, or their statistician Steve Atran that concocted the majority of this abomination at x227 steve.atran@gulfcouncil.org

While you're at it give our old buddy SE Regional administrator of the NMFS Roy Crabtree a jingle at 727-824-5301 roy.crabtree@noaa.gov