Atlantic grouper and red snapper seasons 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) 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.