In St. Petersburg federal regulators hold a public hearing to discuss the proposals which could limiting recreational fishermen to catching only one gag grouper a day from 2012 to 2015 and setting a quota this year of 430,000 pounds for commercial fishermen. The amendment being considered by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council also contains suggestions to changes in bag limits, size limits, and closing federal waters for eight months for gag and red grouper.
According to the stocks assessments of the NOAA, the population of this game fish is overfished and undergoing overfishing,” according to a report. The limits, if approved by the council in June, would allow the gag grouper population to replenish within 10 years. Bob Spaeth, owner of Madiera Beach Seafood and executive director of the Southern Offshore Fishing Association, doesn’t agree with the federal stock assessment.
Scientists say gag grouper has been declining even before the oil spill, with a red tide event in 2005 wiping out 18 percent of the population, according to the federal study. Elizabeth Fetherston, deputy director of fish conservation for the nonprofit Ocean Conservancy in St. Petersburg, said that the real damage is still unknown and will be for years. She said that it is very important to know how to manage the fisheries now and not overdoing it, to not catch too many while they’re potentially more vulnerable, is a solid plan.
She further added that it is good to know that fishermen are challenging the science behind the stock assessments. But there are differing accounts too, and the entire Gulf, not just off the shores of Florida, should be considered. The Gulf fishery council is hosting more public hearings across the state on the issue.
