Hello Captain Mel, I heard the caller on you show earlier commenting about red grouper regulations and commercial trip limits, and would like to clarify a couple of things that you and he discussed. The caller incorrectly thought that the commercial grouper trip limit had recently been increased from 4,000 to 6,000 pounds. The commercial trip limit (for all shallow-water grouper in aggregate) has not been increased. It remains at 6,000 pounds, where it has been since 2006. Prior to that, in 2005 a stepped trip limit was tried, with the trip limit initially set at 10,000 pounds, dropping to 7,500 pounds when 50% of the quota was reached, and to 5,500 pounds when 75% of the quota was reached. Prior to 2005, there was no trip limit. In the grouper fishery, the red grouper stock is fully recovered, but gag is undergoing overfishing. As a result, the Council is working on ways to increase red grouper TAC while at the same time reducing gag harvest to end overfishing. Amendment 30B is the plan amendment that is being developed to effect these changes. For red grouper, the Council will likely do away with the 1-red grouper bag limit. However, to end overfishing of gag, a number of alternatives are being looked at. On the commercial side a reduction in quota can be expected. On the recreational side, one alternative being considered would be to adopt a 3-grouper bag limit for all grouper in aggregate (which would simultaneously raise the red group bag limit while reducing the gag bag limit) and a closed season that overlaps the gag and red grouper spawning seasons. The Council is planning to review a public hearing draft of Amendment 30B at its next meeting in St. Petersburg at the end of January, then hold a series of public hearings around the Gulf coast in early 2008, and take final action at the following Council meeting in April. There is more information about Amendment 30B in the Council's latest edition of its newsletter, Gulf Fishery News. The newsletter can be accessed online by going to the Gulf Council website, and clicking on the Library link on the left side of the page. Sincerely, Steven Atran Population Dynamics Statistician Gulf of Mexico Fishery management Council |
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