Red Grouper
September 2025:
The most recent red grouper stock assessment indicated that red grouper is not overfished or experiencing overfishing, and the resulting catch advice is a significant increase from the current catch limits. The Council worked on draft Reef Fish Amendment 62, which addresses catch limits and allocations based on historical landings in State Reef Fish Survey units and results in new catch limit recommendations. The amendment also considers eliminating the recreational 20-fathom shallow-water grouper closure. The Council selected preferred alternatives that would phase in total annual catch limit increases over a three-year period and would establish 68.2% commercial and 31.8% recreational sector allocations.
The revised sector allocations account for a change in the recreational data unit from the federal Marine Recreational Information Program to the State of Florida’s State Reef Fish Survey. These catch limits would maintain the current buffers between the annual catch limits and annual catch targets of 5% for the commercial sector and 9% for the recreational sector.
The Council also selected a preferred alternative that would eliminate the recreational shallow-water grouper closure beyond the 20-fathom boundary from February 1 – March 31. The Council plans to continue work on this document at the November Council meeting and expects to take final action in January 2026.
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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)
