New triggerfish rules take effect June 10th

Changes to how Gulf of Mexico gray triggerfish are managed in state and federal waters will go into effect on June 10th.

The changes include a recreational and commercial season closure and the implementation of recreational and commercial bag limits.

Earlier this year, state and federal fishery managers approved a recreational and commercial season closure for June 1st through July 31st.

Because this season closure does not take effect until June 10th, for 2013 only, the closure will start June 10 and run through July 31, with harvest reopening August 1st in state waters.

A two-fish recreational bag limit and a 12-fish commercial bag limit also takes effect that day.

Closing gray triggerfish during their peak spawning time and implementing a recreational bag limit and a commercial trip limit should help rebuild the species’ numbers.

Gray triggerfish have a unique spawning behavior that makes them vulnerable during the peak spawning season, usually between June and July.

Male triggerfish coax females to nesting areas, where they all care for and guard their eggs after spawning.

More than 60 percent of gray triggerfish caught in the Gulf of Mexico come from state and federal waters off Florida, which makes the state’s management of the species integral to the success of the federal rebuilding plan.

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