King Mackerel now off-limits to commercial fishermen in western zone of Gulf of Mexico

 NOAA Fisheries will close the western zone of the Gulf of Mexico to commercial fishing for king mackerel beginning at noon on Friday.

The area is located in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico west of the Alabama/Florida state line to the US/Mexico border.

Officials say the closure is necessary because the commercial quota of just over 1 million pounds will be reached by then.

Gulf states including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama are expected to close their state waters at the same time.

The closure will remain in effect until the end of the fishing year, which is June 30th, 2017.  

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