May 10, 2022 — The commercial allocation of the Gulf of Mexico red grouper catch will shrink starting June 1 while the recreational sector’s share will increase.
NOAA Fisheries announced the final rule under Amendment 53 on May 2, allocating 59.3 percent of the annual catch to the commercial sector (down from 76 percent) and increasing the recreational allocation from 24 percent to 40.7 percent.
But there’s a twist. The day after NOAA announced the new commercial allocation reduction, it proposed a slight increase in total annual catch limit for red grouper in the Gulf from 4.26 million pounds to 4.96 million pounds (gutted weight), including a boost in the commercial catch limit from 2.53 million pounds to 2.94 million pounds. The recreational catch limit would rise from 1.73 million pounds to 2.02 million pounds. The agency is accepting public comment through May 18.