Amberjack, triggerfish and gag grouper season changes in Gulf waters start Jan. 1

Amberjack, triggerfish and gag grouper season changes in Gulf waters start Jan. 1 Starting Jan 1, several recreational fishing season changes in Gulf waters will go into effect including: Greater amberjack will open Gray triggerfish will remain closed Gag grouper will close in most Gulf waters. See below for details on each season. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) manages marine fish from the shore to 9 nautical miles in the Gulf of Mexico. Greater amberjack The greater amberjack season in Gulf state waters has been closed since Sept. 10. This temporary closure was put into place because NOAA Fisheries estimated that the 2016 annual federal recreational quota was exceeded and the recreational harvest season in adjacent federal waters closed. The quota is the poundage of fish that can be caught each year while maintaining a sustainable fishery. Federal rules require that any harvest in excess of the quota for this overfished species must be deducted from the next year’s quota and could result in a shortened federal season. State waters closed early in 2016 to help minimize negative impacts of a quota overage on Florida anglers and the 2017 season. Gray triggerfish The gray triggerfish recreational season will remain closed Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2017, in Gulf state waters in response to an announcement that the 2016 federal gray triggerfish quota was exceeded by more than 200 percent and that federal waters will be closed through Dec. 31, 2017. As with greater amberjack, gray triggerfish is overfished, and when the federal quota is exceeded, federal rules require the excess harvest to be deducted from the quota used to set the following year’s season. The state waters closure will help avoid a quota overage in 2017. The FWC approved this 2017 state waters closure at the Nov. 17 meeting in St. Petersburg. However, the FWC will consider a potential limited gray triggerfish season for fall 2017 at an upcoming meeting in an effort to provide fishing opportunities to Gulf anglers. Gag grouper Gag grouper will close for recreational harvest in most Gulf of Mexico state waters and all Gulf federal waters Jan. 1, 2017. This is an annual closure and the season will reopen June 1, 2017. State waters off Franklin, Wakulla, Jefferson and Taylor counties are open from April 1 through June 30 only and are not open during the June 1 through Dec. 31 season. Monroe County is also excluded from the June through December season because it follows Atlantic rules for gag grouper. Learn more To learn more about greater amberjack, gray triggerfish and gag grouper, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater Fishing” and “Recreational Regulations.”

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