Restriction On Red Grouper Caught In State Waters Is Adopted

December 2, 2005

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The number of red grouper recreational fisherman will be able to keep from state waters has been reduced.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission adopted a rule Thursday that reduces the bag limit from two fish a day to one fish. This matches a red grouper bag limit in federal waters.

"That's not much to bring back to the table," said Jim Pergola, a Royal Harbor fisherman.

The change was made because federal regulators fear that grouper are being overfished.

Pergola and other recreational fishermen say the depleted population is because commercial boats use longline gear, miles-long cables equipped with thousands of hooks.

Longliners say their large catches are not a problem because they stay within the commercial sector's annual catch quota.

Commercial fishermen can catch 5.3 million pounds of red grouper each year and recreational fisherman are allowed to catch 1.25 million pounds.

Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed that recreational fisherman exceeded the red grouper quota in 2004 by 138 percent.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council voted last month to lower the red grouper bag limit in federal waters to one fish and to close the recreational catch of red grouper from Feb. 15 to March 15, matching an existing closure for commercial boats.

The proposal is under review by the National Marine Fisheries Service.

The Coastal Conservation Association in Florida, which advocates for recreational fishing, objected to the month-long closure but didn't oppose the lower bag limit in either state or federal waters.

The lower bag limit will be in effect in federal waters Jan. 1 under a previous emergency rule and is set to become permanent later in 2006.

The state rule will be in effect sometime in early January, depending on how quickly attorneys can make it official.

State waters extend up to nine nautical miles offshore, where federal waters start.