Atlantic grouper and red snapper seasons close

December 29, 2009
Contact: Mark Robson, 850-487-0554

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 close from Jan. 1 through April 30 in Atlantic Ocean federal waters. In addition, the recreational and commercial harvest of red snapper will close from Jan. 4 through June 1 in Atlantic federal waters. Federal waters extend beyond 3 nautical miles from shore in the Atlantic off Florida.

The National Marine Fisheries Service implemented these closures in federal waters to address overfishing of grouper and red snapper in the Atlantic. The closures also apply to people on board a vessel for which a federal commercial or charter/headboat permit for the South Atlantic snapper-grouper fishery has been issued, regardless of whether the fish are harvested or possessed in state or federal waters.

In addition, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) recently approved a rule, consistent with federal regulations, that will close 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) from Jan. 19 through April 30 in Atlantic and Monroe County state waters this year. This closure will begin on Jan. 1 in subsequent years.

State waters in the Atlantic (inside 3 nautical miles from shore) will remain open to the harvest of red snapper.

More information, including the regulations for grouper and red snapper that apply in Gulf of Mexico waters, is available online at Grouper and Snapper.

http://myfwc.com/NEWSROOM/09/statewide/News_09_X_GrouperSnapperSeasonsClose.htm