![]() Thanks to successful management under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, red snapper populations are rebounding and their range is expanding. Are red grouper populations decreasing? Are we catching less red grouper because the red snapper population has expanded as it recovers? Are fewer red grouper being caught because snapper beat them to the bait, or have they pushed red grouper out of historical areas? Are environmental factors, such as red tide, at play? Are all these factors acting together to result in lower commercial grouper landings?Įach of these questions has a suite of answers and consequences. The question “Why?” when it comes to fisheries is never simple to answer. In 2017 the Gulf Council approved a two-million-pound increase, despite concerns from commercial fishermen who in the same year were only able to land less than half of their allotted quota. But since 2014, landings have decreased, and we are concerned that there may be issues with the grouper population. ![]() Increased quota and better utilization was accompanied by increasing dockside prices as well. Landings of red grouper increased from 2.9 million pounds with 50% quota utilization in 2010 to 5.6 million pounds and 99.5% quota utilization in 2014. The program has been successful in eliminating derby fishing, stabilizing fishing seasons, and increasing safety at sea. Fishermen are putting our heads together to independently address this issue instead of waiting for politics and management to catch up.īased on the successful red snapper individual fishing quota (IFQ) program in the Gulf of Mexico, grouper and tilefish fishermen developed our own IFQ program in 2010. Unfortunately, in the last few years, we are catching less grouper, well below the annual quota. Commercial fishermen in the Gulf, especially the eastern Gulf, rely on red grouper to make a living. The majority of media and political attention is focused on red snapper, but there are several other reef fish in the Gulf of Mexico that are of commercial and recreational importance.
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