Gag Grouper Moratorium To Take Effect January 1

One of the Gulf of Mexico’s most popular fish will soon be off-limits to commercial and recreational fishermen.  A moratorium on fishing for gag grouper – also known to many as black grouper – goes into effect January 1.  The ban applies to federal waters.

A half day charter trip aboard the Miss Kelley out of Captain Anderson’s Marina yielded a nine pound black grouper for the Henderson family of Iowa.  “It’s the most sought after fish in this part of the gulf,” said Benji Kelley, the boat’s captain.

Captain Kelley should know… he’s been fishing gulf waters out of Panama City for nearly 30 years.  These days, though, it just isn’t the same.  “The stock has collapsed and the grouper fishing is in bad shape,” said Kelley.

Federal officials agree and are implementing a program to save the gag grouper.  According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), there are several reasons for the decline:

      • the population is at about 40% of the minimum healthy level;
      • gag grouper are fished at more than 2.5 times the sustainable rate;
      • females currently outnumber males 30-to-1, leaving fewer breeders; and,
      • a major red tide outbreak in 2005 killed more than 20% of the population.

NOAA said the new guidelines are intended to help the gag grouper population recover, but Captain Kelley said the government waited too long to address years of overfishing.

“If we would have just lowered the limits ten years ago, we would not be here today with a total closure,” said Kelley.

Reduced fishing quotas are also part of the plan.  Beginning in 2011, the commercial quota is reduced from 1.49 million pounds to 100,000 pounds.  The bag limit for recreational fishermen will be reduced to zero.

“We would have been much better off if they would have done a one or two per day per vessel limit,” said Kelley.  ”Snapper is closed in the winter and now black grouper is going to be closed in the winter… it’s going to be hard to sell a winter trip.”