PORT CANAVERAL — During fishing trips, Dustin Rapp seldom bags a red grouper — the latest target for new catch limits. But he sees so many of the already off-limits red snapper, even ham and cheese on a hook can land one.
As a regional fishery council is considering a plan to limit red grouper catches, fishermen fret over yet another chipping away at their livelihoods.The closings keep coming: red snapper, all shallow water grouper, speckled hind, warsaw grouper, black sea bass.
Despite the prospect of new yearly catch limits, there's no proposal to further close red grouper — already off-limits in federal waters January through April.
Initially, the weight of fish allowed would be more than what's currently caught. But fishermen fear the red grouper's newfound status as "overfished" could open a pandora's box of potential future regulations. And while commercial fishermen landed 76 percent of last year's red grouper catch, the new rules would allow them only 40 percent of the catch, allocating the rest to recreational fishermen.
They're already reeling from the loss of red snapper, now banned year round. They say they catch tons of the fish and must throw it back, despite recent studies that show red snapper improving. They worry the government's renewed zeal to protect red grouper could mean restrictions on other more lucrative species that share the same habitats, raising prices for consumers.
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