2023 Federal Gag Grouper Season in the Gulf of Mexico Closing Early
Eugene L. 10.04.23
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Department has announced there will be another interim measure on the gag grouper recreational season this week. The recreational season this year was already a shorter season after NOAA Fisheries had delayed the opening of the season from the original June 1st to September 1st. The measure is the early closure of gag grouper harvest in federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico at 12:01 a.m., local time, on October 19, 2023. This cuts the season short from the originally planned end on November 10, 2023.
After the closure goes into effect on October 19th, the federal gag grouper recreational season will stay closed for the remainder of 2023 and on until it reopens in 2024. The early closure is due to preliminary reports to NOAA Fisheries of higher-than-expected catches of gag grouper. With these rates, the NOAA projections say that the annual catch limit of 403,759 pounds will be reached on October 19, 2023, hence the early closure announcement.
Key Messages of Gag Grouper Federal Season Closure:
- What/When/Where – Recreational harvest of gag in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on October 19, 2023.
- Gag recreational harvest will be closed until the 2024 fishing season opens.
- Interim measures to reduce overfishing of gag stated that the recreational season would begin on September 1, 2023, and end on November 10, 2023, unless NOAA Fisheries projects that the gag recreational annual catch limit would be met before that date.
- Projections of recreational catch and effort data indicate the recreational Gulf gag annual catch limit of 403,759 pounds gutted weight will be reached on October 19, 2023.
- Preliminary reports indicate high catch rates of gag this year, in part because of changes in the season start from June 1 to September 1.
- In accordance with the regulations, NOAA Fisheries must close harvest when the recreational annual catch limit has been met or is projected to be met.
- Shortening the season may also mitigate the potential for a quota overage, which would result in a reduction in the annual catch limit, annual catch target, and season length for the 2024 gag recreational season.
- During the recreational closure, the bag and possession limit is zero for gag in or from federal waters of the Gulf.
- The prohibition on possession of Gulf gag also applies in Gulf state waters for a vessel issued a valid federal charter vessel/headboat permit for Gulf reef fish.
