New gag grouper rules take effect in March

New gag grouper regulations take effect in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico next month.

The new rules, which take effect on March the 12^th are designed to protect gag grouper from continued overfishing.

Commercial fishermen will see their annual catch limit for gag grouper lowered to 788 thousand pounds this year, but that will increase to nearly a million pounds next year and 1.1 million pounds in 2014.

Fpor recreational fishermen the catch limit will be set at 1.2 million pounds this year – increasing to nearly 1.5 million pounds in 2013.

The new rules will also change the recreational season for gag grouper to July through October.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recently adopted the same rules for state waters, though it has left the door open for a April, May and June fishing season for the waters off Taylor, Jefferson, Wakulla and Franklin counties, including Apalachicola Bay and Indian Pass.

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