Sports

Outdoors

At end of year, grouper off-limits

In a move to protect the fish from depletion, the federal government will impose a temporary ban targeting recreational fishermen.

By LEONORA LaPETER and TERRY TOMALIN
Published July 23, 2005

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For the first time, the federal government is banning recreational grouper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico during the last two months of this year.

The closure is the latest in a long line of efforts to stop the depletion of grouper, including a temporary ban on commercial grouper fishing in November after quotas were reached before the end of the year.

But the move to target recreational fishermen has caused an uproar. It has spawned threats of lawsuits, a potential boycott on reporting catches to surveyors at docks and possibly a boat sit-in outside the agency that implemented the ban, the National Marine Fisheries Service.

"People are furious," said Ed Walker, 38, a charter boat captain out of Tarpon Springs who writes a fishing column for the St. Petersburg Times. "Eighty-one percent of the catch goes to commercial fishermen, and the rest of Florida recreationals are left with a smidgen. Now they want to cut that a smidgen further. It seems like a slap in the face."

The 2-month closure will affect only recreational fishermen. The commercial fishing fleet will still be able to catch red grouper. Although consumers will not feel the effects of this decision at restaurants or supermarket seafood counters, the ban should have far-reaching implications in Florida's $15-billion marine industry.

"This is going to hurt everybody," said Craig Lahr, a fishing guide who works part time at Dogfish Tackle in Redington Beach. "First the red tide, now this? A closure will devastate the industry. This will impact boat sales, tackle sales, everything."

The state is opposed to the ban on recreational grouper fishing, which would affect the entire Gulf of Mexico, from Florida to Texas.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has agreed to cut the bag limit in state waters from two red grouper per day to one. But it does not agree with an outright closure.

This means that as it stands now, recreational fishermen can fish in state waters as far as 9 miles out during November and December. But they can't fish in the federal waters farther out than 9 miles, which is where many recreational fishermen say most of the red grouper are located.

Fishermen's access to state waters could theoretically change after the state commission meets in September. But commissioners have been pretty adamant that they don't think an outright closure is necessary because grouper were more plentiful this past year.

"We were disappointed with this decision," commission member David Meehan said. "We had hoped (federal fishery managers) would listen to our recommendations."

Federal fisheries officials say the ban is necessary because recreational fishermen took in more than 3-million pounds of red grouper last year, nearly 1.8-million pounds more than the federal recreational quota.

By cutting the number of grouper each person can take and closing the fishing in November and December, federal officials hope to bring recreational fishermen more in line with what they're supposed to be taking, said Phil Steele, a fishery administrator with the National Marine Fisheries Service.

But many recreational fishermen question the catch numbers, which are collected through telephone and dockside interviews up and down the coast.

"We have serious questions about the data," said Dennis O'Hern of the 1,000-member Fishing Rights Alliance in Pinellas County. "We are prepared to mobilize the anglers and divers throughout the state and shut down the (Marine Recreational Fishing Statistical Survey). They can't collect data without our cooperation. We will do whatever we have to. They have no idea what this is going to do to the local economy. It will put people out of business."

Many recreational fishermen say it's unfair to limit them when commercial fishermen take more than 80 percent of the red grouper quota, or 5.31-million pounds of the fish.

"It is insane to think that they are going to rebuild the resource by dropping the recreational limit to one fish and closing the season for two months while the commercial fishermen ... bring home 10,000 pounds on a single trip," said Ted Forsgren, executive director for the Florida chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association, the state's largest sport fishing organization.

But others, who remember the heyday when you could haul enough grouper in during one day to sink a boat, say it's time to manage grouper so that later generations can fish.

"The reason for these closures is not to irritate the fisherman," said Dave Mistretta, 43, a charter boat captain out of Indian Rocks Beach who has been fishing for more than 20 years. "It's to keep some sort of stability in the low numbers of fish that are in the gulf. ... They need to target more on the commercial fisherman, but I have no problem going down one fish.

"Give the fish a little reprieve," said Mistretta, who writes a fishing column in the St. Petersburg Times. "I'd like to see my son and grandson catch grouper, and in order to do that, you have to have some restrictions."

In the meantime, federal fisheries officials say the new rule, which limits each fisherman's red grouper catch from two fish to one beginning Aug. 9, is temporary. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will begin discussing new regulations on grouper fishing in August.

THE NEW RULE

The temporary new rule, which goes into effect Aug. 9:

Closes federal waters to recreational grouper fishing this November and December.

Reduces the red grouper bag limit from two fish per person to one.

Reduces the number of types of grouper allowed per person from five to three.

[Last modified July 23, 2005, 01:02:13]

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