According to the commission the recreational season for all shallow water grouper in Florida’s Atlantic and Monroe County waters reopened on May 1. The media reports that the recreational seasons for grouper on both coasts has been the topic of much controversy lately. The restrictions are always remain the centre of discussion on the radio shows and always seem to crop up at the local fishing related seminars. This is good news for anglers who target grouper for the table.
The press communiqué of the commission states that the recreational and commercial harvest of shallow-water groupers (including gag, black grouper, red grouper, scamp, red hind, rock hind, coney, graysby, yellowfin grouper, yellowmouth grouper and tiger grouper) will reopen on May 1 in all Atlantic Ocean and Monroe County waters off Florida. The harvest of these groupers has been closed since Jan. 1 to address overfishing of grouper in the Atlantic.
The press release also said that for all groupers there will be a three-fish-per-person aggregate daily recreational bag limit. The captain and crew of for-hire vessels are not allowed to keep any species in the aggregate grouper bag limit. Anglers may take no more than one gag or black grouper (not both) within the aggregate grouper limit in Atlantic and Monroe County waters, and dehooking tools are required to be aboard commercial and recreational vessels for use as needed to remove hooks from Atlantic reef fish.
