Red Grouper
As you know the last few years the Red Grouper Season has experienced in season closures. Which is a strong indicator that the stock is maintaining or growing. Last year the Annual Catch Target (ACT) was set at 1,840,000 pounds and even with the in season closure the harvest report came in at 2,267,459 pounds, which means we overfished by 427,459 pounds. Which was leading to a closure sometime in May or June this year.
But last year there was a Red Grouper stock assessment conducted and in the last couple weeks those preliminary results became available. The new stock assessment gives a 77% increase in allocation. This is estimated to give us enough allocation at currently used catch levels to make it either through the end of the year to at least the month of November. Because of the time frame that it takes to certify the data, create a document applying the stock assessment results, and that the Red Grouper season has already begun it would not be available to use till 2026.
With this the Gulf Council passed an emergency rule to utilize a portion (90%) of the new allocation that has become available. This will extend the Red Grouper season this year as well. This was supported not just by the Gulf Council but as well as the agency. So we will see information released on the progress and/or execution of the emergency rule in the near future.
(Written: April 2025)
