Florida Seafood Season Advisories
- Beginning June 1, 2008 commercial fishermen will be required to use non-stainless steel circle hooks, d-hooking and venting devices when using natural baits to harvest reef fish in Gulf of Mexico federal waters. Reef fish species include all snappers, groupers, sea bass, amberjacks, triggerfish, hogfish, red porgy and tilefish.
For more information, please call the Gulf Council at 888-833-1844. - NOAA Fisheries Service published a final rule for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region. The final rule becomes effective on July 29, 2009.
This rule establishes a January-April prohibition on commercial harvest of shallow water grouper species including gag, black grouper, red grouper, scamp, rock hind, red hind, coney, graysby, yellowfin grouper, yellowmouth grouper, and tiger grouper.
Modifies the vermilion snapper commercial quota and establishes a gag commercial quota.
Implements a requirement for the commercial sector to use dehooking tools when necessary.
For persons aboard charter vessels/headboats permitted for the South Atlantic snapper-grouper fishery, the provisions of the closures for gag and vermilion snapper will apply regardless of whether the fish are harvested in state or federal waters. Captain and crew on for-hire vessels would be prohibited from retaining vermilion snapper or any species in the grouper aggregate.
Summary table of new snapper-grouper regulations for the South Atlantic.
Measures New Regulations Shallow water grouper closed season Jauary-April (all shallow-water groupers*) Gag quota 352,940 lbs gutted weight Vermilion snapper quota 315,523 lbs gutted weight (January-June); 302,523 lbs gutted weight (July-December) * Shallow water grouper include: Gag, black grouper, red grouper, scamp, red hind, rock hind, coney, graysby, yellowfin grouper, yellowmouth grouper, and tiger grouper - NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service has determined the 2009 commercial quota of 1,020,000 pounds of deepwater grouper will be reached by June 27, 2009.
With this determination, the commercial fishery for deepwater grouper (misty grouper, snowy grouper, yellowedge grouper, Warsaw grouper, or speckled hind) in the Gulf of Mexico is closed, effective 12:01 a.m. (local time) June 27, 2009, through December 31, 2009.
The fishery will remain closed until 12:01 a.m., January 1, 2010.
The operator of a vessel with a valid commercial reef fish permit having deepwater grouper aboard must have landed and bartered, traded, or sold such deep-water grouper prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, June 27, 2009.
During the closure, vessels with commercial quantities of reef fish on board are prohibited from retaining a recreational bag limit. - The commercial harvest season for spiny lobster in Florida waters opens August 6. The season will close as usual on March 31.
