A temporary rule has been announced by NOAA which will prohibit recreational fishing for gag grouper in Gulf of Mexico federal waters. This rule will also reduce the commercial quota from 1.49 million pounds to 100,000 pounds and will prohibit the use of the red grouper multi-use individual fishing quota allocation for harvesting gag grouper.
Experts said that the quota will discourage commercial vessels from targeting gag or from fishing in areas with high accidental catch of gag, while still allowing the retention of some accidentally-caught gag that would otherwise be discarded dead at sea. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council requested the fisheries service implement this temporary rule while the council explores long-term measures to address the poor condition of the gag grouper population.
Roy Crabtree, southeast regional administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries Service, said that this is a short term action and will look to increase the harvest of gag as soon as possible. The most recent scientific assessment update shows too many gag grouper are being removed from the population too quickly, indicating a need for protection under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
