FWC PROPOSES ONE FISH DAILY BAG LIMIT FOR GULF RED GROUPER
September 22, 2005
CONTACT: Lee Schlesinger (850) 487-0554
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) today proposed reducing the daily bag limit from two fish to one fish per person for red grouper harvested by recreational fishermen in Gulf of Mexico state waters. The FWC expects this action to result in a 30 percent annual reduction in the Gulf red grouper recreational harvest.
A 10-year rebuilding plan for overfished stocks of Gulf red grouper, developed by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (GMFMC), annually allocates 1.25 million pounds of red grouper to recreational harvesters, and 5.31 million pounds to commercial harvesters. More than 90 percent of all red grouper landed in the Gulf are harvested from state or federal waters off Florida, and most of these fish are harvested farther offshore in federal waters.
State and federal regulations manage the recreational harvest of red grouper with bag and size limits, and the commercial harvest is managed with a size limit, daily vessel trip limits and an annual harvest quota. The commercial Gulf red grouper fishery reached its quota and closed from Nov.15 through Dec. 31 last year, and the commercial fishery will likely reach its quota and close in October this year.
Also last year, the recreational red grouper harvest exceeded its annual allocation by 159 percent, and as a result, the NMFS implemented an interim rule to ensure the recreational red grouper fishery remained within its allocation during 2005 and the stock rebuilding schedule stayed on track. This interim rule reduced the daily red grouper recreational bag limit in federal waters from two fish to one fish and reduced the aggregate grouper bag limit in federal waters from five fish to three fish. The rule also prohibits the recreational harvest of all grouper species from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31 this year.
The interim rule will be in effect for 180 days and could be extended for an additional 180 days, and NMFS has requested that the FWC adopt a consistent rule for Florida state waters. The NMFS interim rule did not address the commercial red grouper fishery because commercial landings did not exceed their quota in either 2003 or 2004.
In June, the FWC considered and rejected the NMFS request to implement its interim rule provisions in Florida waters, citing concerns of undue economic hardship to Florida’s recreational and charter industry. As a precautionary measure, the FWC agreed to lower the red grouper bag limit to one fish only if NMFS took similar action, however this did not occur, and no action was taken by the FWC.
Currently the GMFMC is considering a range of management alternatives for red grouper (and also for gag and black grouper), including bag, size and vessel limits and closed seasons. The GMFMC is expected to make a final decision on these alternative actions in October.
The FWC is proposing a reduction in the red grouper recreational daily bag limit from two fish to one in state waters to help ensure that recreational harvests do not impede the rebuilding plan for this species, and a final public hearing on this proposal will take place at the FWC’s Nov. 30-Dec. 1 meeting in Key Largo.
The FWC will also request that the GMFMC expedite action to readdress the recreational and commercial harvest allocation of the Gulf red grouper stock.
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