LDWF issued a Declaration of Emergency to align the recreational gag grouper season with modifications made by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This action modifies the state recreational fishing season for Gulf gag grouper so that it begins on Sept. 1 instead of June 1, in order to match the federal season.
This change is intended to increase the length of the fishing season compared to a June 1 opening date, as fishing pressure is expected to be lower with a Sept. 1 start date.
Until the opening of the season, recreational harvest or possession of gag grouper is prohibited in state and federal waters. According to NOAA, the closure is necessary to prevent further overfishing of the gag grouper resource. The gag grouper population is considered overfished (the population is too low), and limiting harvest is necessary for the population to recover while the stock rebuilds.
