Saving Seafood

Gulf Fishermen Lose Fight Against Deep Grouper Cuts After Georgia Court Battle

September 5, 2026 — Commercial fishermen hoping to overturn massive catch cuts in the Gulf of America just hit a wall in federal court.

Longtime Gulf fishermen Dominick and James Russo took the federal government to court after fishery managers slashed gag grouper harvest limits by roughly 86 percent. The family-run business, FFC Seafood, argued that the steep restrictions took a huge bite out of their income and should be thrown out because the Gulf Fishery Management Council is unconstitutionally structured.

On September 3, a panel for the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Georgia agreed with the fishermen on one major point: parts of the federal law do give the Council unconstitutional powers. Under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, Council members hold special veto powers over the Secretary of Commerce, even though they aren’t nominated by the President or confirmed by the Senate.

The catch? None of those veto powers were actually used to put the grouper cuts in place.

Read the full article at Tampa Free Press

Gulf partnerships shape the future of commercial fisheries

July 31, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries is highlighting decades of collaboration between commercial fishermen, state agencies and federal fishery managers as a driving force behind sustainable fisheries and stronger coastal economies in the Gulf of America, part of an eight-part series commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. According to NOAA, the Gulf supports the nation’s second-largest commercial fishing revenue and a $20 billion annual fishing economy, with partnerships across the region helping balance commercial and recreational fisheries management.

The feature points to several examples of collaborative management, including improvements to fisheries data collection, joint fishery-independent surveys and coordinated efforts between NOAA Fisheries, the Gulf Fishery Management Council and Gulf states.

One example is the Gulf Fishery Independent Survey of Habitat and Ecosystem Resources (G-FISHER), launched through a partnership between NOAA Fisheries and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. Since standardizing survey methods in 2019, annual sampling has expanded from roughly 600 to 700 sites to approximately 2,000 sites each year. NOAA says the data have supported 37 stock assessments covering 20 species.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman