Outdoors

Grouper groups lining up

Federal officials say the species is being "overfished." Charter captains worry that proposed tighter limits will scare off clients.

By TERRY TOMALIN, Outdoors Editor
Published January 25, 2008

ADVERTISEMENT [James Borchuck | Times (2004)] Joe Maisano, left, and father Sam Maisano hoist a 40-pound grouper caught 80 miles offshore in the federal waters of the gulf. Sam Maisano is worried smaller bag limits will reduce the number of clients as well.

ST. PETERSBURG - Sam Maisano counts on hungry tourists to help pay the rent.

"My clients like to catch fish, but they also like to eat them," said the Treasure Island charter boat captain. "I'm afraid if people can't take home a grouper or two, they won't want to go fishing anymore."

That may be just the case, if federal officials adopt a series of proposed grouper regulations currently under consideration. Fishery managers contend that gag grouper are undergoing "overfishing," and as a result, those managers are recommending some drastic measures to help rebuild the stocks.

When the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meets next week in St. Petersburg, federal fishery scientists will present options that could shut down all recreational grouper fishing in federal waters (starting at 9 miles offshore) for nearly half of the year.

"A long closure would put an end to offshore recreational fishing as we know it," said Erich Lichtenberger owner of Bett's Fishing Center in Largo. "The charter boat captains wouldn't be able to survive; either would the guys who sell bait and gas. The industry is already hurting from fuel prices, now this? It could put us all out of business."

Grouper is always a hot topic in the Tampa Bay area, where more than 90 percent of the commercial catch is landed. Recreational fishing groups have been at odds with the National Marine Fisheries Service for nearly a decade over how many grouper can be caught and who is allowed to catch them.

Three years ago, sport fishing groups went to war with the federal government over this issue in court and won. But brewing battle over this round of regulations will make the 2005 fight look like a backyard brawl in comparison. If approved after a series of public hearings, the earliest these new regulations could go into effect is late 2008.

"We are rallying the troops," said Dennis O'Hern of the St. Petersburg-based Fishing Rights Alliance. "We question the science. They (NMFS) are working with old numbers and haven't taken into consideration the current economic conditions. With gas prices so high, fewer people are fishing and that means less pressure on the fishery."

O'Hern said he expects as many as 1,000 recreational anglers to show up at the meeting. Sport fishermen held a "grouper rally" in Tampa on Thursday, and another was planned for tonight at Lichtenberger's shop.

Fishermen are riled up about two things: a two-fish reduction in the bag limit (anglers are currently allowed to keep five grouper; the new rules would allow them to keep three) and a proposed closed season of three to five months (the recreational grouper season now closes for one month, from Feb. 15 to March 15). Federal officials could choose to do nothing, which is unlikely because the law requires them to address the fact that the species is undergoing "overfishing."

"We want them to examine some additional options," said Ted Forsgren, executive director of the Florida Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association, the state's largest sport fishing advocacy group. "We have some questions about the stock assessments and do not think that the gag grouper stocks are undergoing overfishing."

Forsgren said he believes the fishery managers are not addressing the real problem, the allocation of the resource. Under current rules, the recreational and commercial sectors are allocated a "share" of the resource. In general, recreational fishermen catch three gag grouper for every two caught commercially. When it comes to red grouper, commercial fishermen catch three fish for every one caught by recreational anglers.

Roy Crabtree, Southeast regional administrator for the NMFS, said he is sympathetic with the recreational sector's concerns, but added, "We are overfishing gag grouper, and we need to address it.

"You can't reduce the bag limit alone and get to where we need to be," he said. "If you want to have a positive impact, you have to combine a bag limit reduction with a longer closed season."

If recreational anglers are right about economic conditions keeping people from fishing, the council can re-address the issue, Crabtree said.

In the meantime, anglers such as Treasure Island's Jim Breazeale, will wonder about their fishing futures.

"I love to fish and go even it costs me $1,400 to fill my boat up with gas," he said. "But if they say I can't keep any fish to eat ... I don't know. I might just stay home."

If you go

What: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meeting

When/where: Monday-Thursday; Radisson Hotel and Conference Center, 12600 Roosevelt Blvd., St. Petersburg.

On the Web: Gulf council - www.gulfcouncil.org; Fishing Rights Alliance - www.thefra.org.

[Last modified January 24, 2008, 20:39:15]