Atlantic gag grouper season opens May 1, but NOAA cut from 8 months to just 6 weeks
Another day, another fishery becomes harder to access. This time it's gag grouper in the Atlantic Ocean.
In case you missed it, in October, NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service announced this year's gag grouper fishing season — read that "harvest" season — will be shortened from its usual eight months to just six weeks. This affects all recreational, commercial and charter fishing interests between North Carolina and Key West.
At first, it sounds like a draconian cut. But some anglers tell me this may be exactly what's needed to fix grouper stocks for the long run.
How is a short season a good thing?
Most of us are familiar with the saying, "no pain, no gain." Sometimes it applies to more than just a workout regimen at your local crossfit training warehouse.
Fort Pierce grouper specialists Richard Hunt and Emil Laviola are looking at the news of a shortened season through the fresh lens of Hunt's nearly 2-year-old daughter, Coral Sue. In recent years, the anglers have noticed an absence of gag grouper from their favorite fishing spots.
"They're just nowhere to be found anymore," said Hunt, who has been captain of Little Adam fishing charters for years, since buying the business from restaurateur and legendary angler David King. "I feel bad for other guys in the charter business because they have already lost those grouper they depend on for customers. Emil and I aren't catching them like we used to."
In the 1970s, Fort Pierce developed a reputation for being a great place to target the tasty fish. Habitat existed along the coral reefs offshore as well as spots known to locals around the inlet, inside what is now Fort Pierce Inlet State Park. They were even found along the rocky Intracoastal Waterway channel north of the Banty Saunders Bridge aka North Bridge, where dynamite had been used to blast out rock to create the channel. Boaters trolling lipped plugs occasionally caught a legal grouper there until the size limit was increased to 24 inches.
How did we get here?
In grouper fishing, it's all about the spot. Grouper are territorial and the alpha dogs of whichever reef system they choose to inhabit. Once they reach 20 pounds, they are often immune to all other sea predators, such as sharks, and are vulnerable only to fishermen. By that point in their development, gag grouper will fall only for a large dead bait such as a sardine or squid — or the point of a speargun.
These big grouper — a lot of anglers call them copper-bellies — have a chance against the occasional hook-and-line angler. The big ones live on deeper ledges and reefs, and prefer hard bottom with holes and caves they can recede into when they grab a fast meal. If that meal is connected to an angler, and the grouper gets back into the rock, it can be the end of the fish fight before it even gets started.
The alarm bell for grouper stocks in the Atlantic sounded in 2021. It took two years for managers to figure out how to establish a rebuilding plan for grouper stocks. The plan reaches out to 2032 and has increasing catch limits for recreational and commercial fishing sectors until then.
NOAA scientists estimate a total catch during this six-week period of about 133,075 pounds (gutted weight) for both sectors combined. This year, the recreational sector is allotted 51% of the catch, but in future years, the stock will be split 50-50 until 2032. Commercial fishers point out that those who have no access to boats or are advanced anglers get their Atlantic gag grouper from their catches sold at restaurants and markets. They're right.
By the way, even when the season closes in mid-June, fresh gag grouper will still be available at local eateries and seafood sellers. They'll be getting grouper from their suppliers who are bringing it in from the Gulf of Mexico and international imports.
The 133,075 pounds sounds like a lot, but it adds up fast. If each grouper averages 20 pounds, the recreational portion is only 3,393 fish for four states of anglers. But clearly, the fishery isn't what it used to be.
The 2022 grouper catch for the commercial sector wound up at 191,326 pounds, worth $1.26 million. That is a far cry from the 449,377 pound average commercial catch between 2010 and 2014. Recreational numbers then were high as well. So it's little wonder why the feds are saying gag grouper are overfished.
The rebuilding plan, if the numbers are met, is hopeful. The feds estimate by 2032, they could see an allowable catch for both sectors combined as high as 948,911 pounds gutted weight.
For now, we'll all have to tighten our belts. This summer, we can spend our energy on other healthier offshore fisheries like mutton snapper, mangrove snapper, dolphin and kingfish.
If all goes according to plan, a young teenage Coral Sue will have plenty of grouper she can catch when her father is ready to show her the coordinates to his secret grouper spots.
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Gag grouper: History of regulation changes in Atlantic fishery
1998: Increase size limit from 20 to 24 inches; decreased bag limit to two fish of either gag or black grouper within five grouper aggregate bag limit
2010: Aggregate bag limit dropped to three fish with only one being a gag or black grouper; set Jan. 1 to April 30 as closed season; required dehooking tools
2023: Stopped May to December gag grouper fishing season in October
2024: Shortened open season to May 1 to June 15
Gag grouper: Did you know?
State record: 80 pounds, 6 ounces, Bill Smith, Destin, Oct. 14, 1993
Biology: All groupers are born females, but can later become male. Don't reach sexual maturity until age 7. Can grow to as long as 3 feet and 50 pounds. Can live over 30 years. Females spawn multiple times each year, releasing between 60,000 and 1.7 million eggs during each spawn.
Food: A variety of fish, shrimp, squid and crabs. Sometimes eaten by large sharks.
Distribution: Along with red grouper, most abundant grouper species in Florida waters. Can be found from Pensacola to Key West to Jacksonville.
Misidentification: Gag grouper and black grouper are often confused for each other, so fishery managers set regulations that apply to both.
Atlantic gag grouper recreational fishing regulations
Season: Open for harvest May 1 through June 15
Closed: June 16 through April 30, 2025
Size limit: 24 inches total length
Bag limit: 1 gag or black grouper per person within 3 fish grouper limit
Vessel limit: 2 fish per recreational vessel per day limit not to exceed 1 gag or black per person per day, whichever is more restrictive
Tool requirements: When fishing with natural baits, must possess on board a vessel and use non-stainless steel hooks (circle hooks are required north of 28 degrees North latitude in Melbourne); a dehooking device; and a readily available descending device
For more information
MyFWC.com for Gulf of Mexico gag grouper regulations
Ed Killer is the outdoors columnist at TCPalm. This is his opinion. Email him at ed.killer@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Atlantic gag grouper season opens May 1, but NOAA cut to just 6 weeks
