Gag grouper ban hard to swallow for some
The six-month ban covers only federal waters, those farther than 9 nautical miles from shore, and applies only to the recreational harvest. Commercial fishermen will have reduced quotas for the fish.
Gag grouper, one of the most commonly caught and eaten fish here, may still be caught and kept in state waters – those from the shore and extending 9 nautical miles – until Feb. 1. Then a ban in state and federal waters on shallow water grouper, including gag, takes effect for February and March.
The six-month ban is needed to develop a plan to combat overfishing, said Bill Teehan, section leader with the Division of Marine Fisheries Management of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and a state representative for the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council.
He said the interim federal rule is in response to studies showing the gag grouper population is in peril.
"We're trying to get gag back on track as soon as possible," Teehan said.
The management council is studying ways to boost the species, including limits on size and quantity, as well as season closures. Any plan could include a combination of those or other control methods.
Teehan said the council hopes to have a plan by June. It then would require federal approval, meaning the ban could be renewed beyond six months.
But the initial ban already is weighing heavily on some.
At Fisherman's World in Holiday, which sells tackle and other fishing supplies, general manager Matt Baldwin said the store is adjusting its inventory for the ban.
"We'll do the best that we can in the situation we've been dealt and cross our fingers," he said.
"We obviously aren't carrying as much grouper tackle. We haven't cut it out, but we've adjusted it greatly."
Baldwin expects the ban will take a 50 percent to 60 percent bite out of the portion of his business that involves grouper fishing.
At Daisy Mae Fishing Co. in Clearwater, owner Eric Mahoney is trying to stay positive despite the added regulations. He's emphasizing fishing gag grouper for catch and release purposes and reminding customers that there are other varieties of fish they can keep.
"The problem with any fish closure is that it's just not good, no matter if you lose one trip or 20," he said.
Especially difficult, Mahoney said, is that the ban comes on top of a down economy and soon after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, which hurt business because of the perception that the entire Gulf was affected.
"We're getting hit on so many different levels," he said.
John Paiva, owner of Tampa Bay Fishing Charter, said he stays closer to shore and therefore won't be affected by the federal ban.
"The commercial fisherman can still catch them so they won't be coming into our waters," he said.
Baldwin said he's also concerned for communities such as Tarpon Springs, which are so dependent on fishing.
"It will have a huge impact on the economy of a fishing-based town," he said. "It takes away all this income from all these businesses."
Teehan said fishermen should see the ban as a short-term necessity to secure the gag grouper population.
"We're looking for long-term recovery," he said.
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