According to the press communiqué of NOAA Fisheries Service an interim rule has been announced that will ban recreational harvest of gag grouper in Gulf of Mexico federal waters until long-term management measures can be developed. As per the latest stocks assessment gag grouper in the Gulf of Mexico are overfished and undergoing overfishing. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act require that overfished stocks be rebuilt and that overfishing be halted.
This interim rule will be effective from January 1, 2011 when the recreational harvest of gag grouper in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico is prohibited. This interim rule will be in effect for 180 days and could be extended for another 186 days. However, it was the intent of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, when requesting this temporary rule, that there should be a recreational grouper season in 2011.
This interim rule will currently only affect federal waters, but the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission may address potential rule changes for gag grouper in state waters of the Gulf of Mexico following final action by NOAA Fisheries Service. The new rule also establishes a quota of 100,000 pounds for the commercial sector. The 2009 population assessment update for gag indicated the commercial quota should be reduced from 1.49 million pounds to 390,000 pounds.
