Saving Seafood

Triggerfish and amberjack seasons cut short by feds

March 25, 2019 — Better hurry if you want to catch a triggerfish in the Gulf of Mexico.

And get ready to wait a long time before you can put an amberjack in the icebox.

The recreational season for gray triggerfish will close on May 11, and will not reopen again until March of 2020. The 2019 season is just 72 days, instead of the usual 173 days. It is possible, depending on federal estimates of the 2019 harvest, that triggerfish could remain closed even longer.

Greater amberjack season, meanwhile, which would normally reopen on May 1 will remain closed until August. That’s because federal officials estimated that fishermen caught the entire annual quota of amberjack for the last year during August, September and October of 2018.

Read the full story at AL.com

Commercial Closure for Gray Triggerfish in South Atlantic Federal Waters on November 6, 2018

November 2, 2018 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

WHAT/WHEN:
  • The commercial harvest of gray triggerfish in South Atlantic federal waters will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on November 6, 2018, andwill open on January 1, 2019, for the 2019 January through June fishing season. During the commercial closure, harvest or possession of gray triggerfish in or from federal waters is limited to the recreational bag and possession limits when the recreational sector is open.
WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING:
  • The 2018 July-December commercial catch limit is 156,162 pounds whole weight. Commercial landings are projected to reach the 2018 July-December commercial catch limit on November 6, 2018.  According to the accountability measure, harvest must close to prevent the catch limit from being exceeded.
AFTER THE CLOSURE:
  • The closure and prohibition on sale applies in both state and federal waters for vessels that have a federal commercial permit for South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper.
  • The prohibition on sale or purchase during a closure for gray triggerfish does not apply to fish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, on November 6, 2018,and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.
This bulletin provides only a summary of the existing regulations. Full regulations can be found in the Federal Register or at https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=383bc195ccbeab4fd6bec1c24905df34&node=sp50.12.622.i&rgn=div6#se50.12.622_1190.

Commercial Closure for Gray Triggerfish in South Atlantic Federal Waters on June 13, 2018

June 11, 2018 — The following was released by NOAA:

WHAT/WHEN:

The commercial harvest of gray triggerfish in South Atlantic federal waters will close at 12:01 A.M., LOCAL TIME, ON JUNE 13, 2018. During the commercial closure, harvest or possession of gray triggerfish in or from federal waters is limited to the recreational bag and possession limits when the recreational sector is open.

WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING:

* The 2018 January through June commercial catch limit is 156,162 pounds whole weight. Commercial landings are projected to reach the January through June commercial catch limit on JUNE 13, 2018. According to the accountability measure, harvest must close to prevent the catch limit from being exceeded.

AFTER THE CLOSURE:

* The closure applies in both state and federal waters for vessels that have a federal commercial permit for South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper.

* The prohibition on sale or purchase during a closure for gray triggerfish does not apply to fish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 A.M., LOCAL TIME, ON JUNE 13, 2018, and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.

* The commercial gray triggerfish July through December fishing season in the South Atlantic will open on July 1, 2018, with a catch limit of 156,162 pounds whole weight.

This bulletin provides only a summary of the existing regulations. Full regulations can be found in the Federal Register.

Commercial Closure for Gray Triggerfish in South Atlantic Federal Waters on November 8, 2017

November 6, 2017 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

WHAT/WHEN:

The commercial harvest of gray triggerfish in South Atlantic federal waters will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on November 8, 2017. During the commercial closure, harvest or possession of gray triggerfish in or from federal waters is limited to the recreational bag and possession limits when the recreational sector is open.

 WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING:

  • The 2017 July-December commercial catch limit is 156,162 pounds whole weight. In addition, the unused portion of the January 1 through June 30, 2017, commercial catch limit (20,278 pounds whole weight) was added to the July 1 through December 31, 2017, commercial catch limit for a revised catch limit of 176,440 pounds whole weight. Commercial landings are projected to reach that revised July-December commercial catch limit on November 8, 2017.  According to the accountability measure, harvest must close to prevent the catch limit from being exceeded.

AFTER THE CLOSURE:

  • The closure applies in both state and federal waters for vessels that have a federal commercial permit for South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper.
  • The prohibition on sale or purchase during a closure for gray triggerfish does not apply to fish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, on November 8, 2017,and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.

This bulletin provides only a summary of the existing regulations. Full regulations can be found in the Federal Register or at https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=383bc195ccbeab4fd6bec1c24905df34&node=sp50.12.622.i&rgn=div6#se50.12.622_1190.

Access this and other Fishery Bulletins from NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office by clicking here.

 

LOUISIANA: State’s gray triggerfish season will remain closed for 2017

December 19, 2016 — Louisiana’s season for recreational harvest of gray triggerfish will remain closed in state waters for all of the 2017 season.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says the season was originally scheduled to re-open Jan. 1, however the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries announced that accountability measures are being enacted which led to a closure of the entire 2017 season in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. They asked that Louisiana state waters also remain closed for that period.

NOAA Fisheries has estimated that the adjusted annual catch limit of 201,223 pounds for the Gulf in 2016 has been exceeded by 221,213 pounds.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Daily Comet

Commercial Harvest of Gray Triggerfish in South Atlantic Waters Will Close on December 16, 2016

December 14th, 2016 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council: 

Commercial harvest of gray triggerfish in South Atlantic waters will close at 12:01 a.m. (local time) December 16, 2016. Landings data and projections indicate that commercial harvest of gray triggerfish is projected to reach the 2016 July through December quota.  As a result, commercial harvest of gray triggerfish in South Atlantic waters will be closed for the remainder of the fishing year.  The 2017 January through June fishing season reopens at 12:01 a.m. (local time) on January 1, 2017.

The operator of a vessel with a valid federal commercial permit for snapper-grouper who is landing gray triggerfish for sale must have landed and bartered, traded, or sold such gray triggerfish prior to 12:01 a.m., local time,

December 16, 2016. The prohibition on sale does not apply to sale or purchase of gray triggerfish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m. (local time) December 16, 2016, and held in cold storage by a dealer or processor. 

 During the commercial closure:

  • Harvest or possession of gray triggerfish in or from federal waters is limited to the recreational bag and possession limits when the recreational sector is open.
  • The bag and possession limits for gray triggerfish and the prohibition on sale/purchase apply in the South Atlantic on board a vessel for which a valid federal commercial or charter vessel/headboat permit for South Atlantic snapper-grouper has been issued, without regard to where such species were harvested, i.e., in state or federal waters.

This closure is necessary to protect the gray triggerfish resource by preventing the commercial quota from being exceeded. 

LOUISIANA: Reef fish dominated Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries commission meeting again

November 4, 2016 — With hunting seasons ready to hit full stride, fishing, once again, dominated Thursday’s Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission meeting in Baton Rouge.

And again, the issues centered on red snapper, the proposed red snapper-takeover plan – also known as regional management – by each of the five Gulf States, and an update on gray triggerfish.

The discussion surfaced during an agenda item that called on Department of Wildlife and Fisheries veteran biologist Myron Fischer’s report on the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s October quarterly meeting held in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Gray triggerfish came first: Fischer told the commission the latest data showed the species continues to hold “overfished” status, that the GMFMC discussed a one-per-day limit, a 15 inches minimum size limit and two closed seasons, the first in January through February and the second to run June through July for the recreational sector, and trip limits for the commercial sector.

Fischer said while public hearings will be held to get input on the species, there is the possibility recreational anglers will face a closed season on gray triggerfish throughout 2017.

Next up was the regional management issue and its relationship to the GMFMC’s newly formed Private Recreational Advisory Panel, a move proposed by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ representative to the council, LDWF assistant secretary Patrick Banks earlier this year.

Fischer said the LDWF made a motion to charge the new panel with “management measures” to include “… more quality access to the resource in federal waters, reduce (undersized) discards, and improve fisheries data collection.”

Read the full story at The Acadiana Advocate

Commercial Harvest of Gray Triggerfish in South Atlantic Waters Will Close on April 2, 2016

The following was released by NOAA:

March 24, 2016 — Commercial harvest of gray triggerfish in South Atlantic waters will close at 12:01 a.m. (local time) April 2, 2016. The commercial annual catch limit for gray triggerfish in the South Atlantic is divided into two quotas for two 6-month periods (January through June and July through December). Landing reports indicate the January through June commercial quota of 156,162 pounds whole weight will be met by April 2, 2016. This commercial closure will be effective until June 30, 2016. Commercial harvest of gray triggerfish will re-open on July 1, 2016, with a commercial quota of 156,162 pounds whole weight for the July – December fishing season.

The operator of a vessel with a valid federal commercial permit for snapper-grouper and who is landing gray triggerfish for sale must have landed and bartered, traded, or sold such gray triggerfish prior to 12:01 a.m., local time, April 2, 2016. The prohibition on sale does not apply to sale or purchase of gray triggerfish that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold prior to 12:01 a.m. (local time) April 2, 2016, and held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.

During the commercial closure:

  • Harvest or possession of gray triggerfish in or from federal waters is limited to the recreational bag and possession limits when the recreational sector is open.
  • Sale or purchase of gray triggerfish from both state and federal waters is prohibited for a person onboard a vessel with a valid federal commercial or charter vessel/headboat permit for snapper-grouper.

This closure is necessary to protect the snapper-grouper resource.