What/When/Where:

• Recreational harvest of red grouper in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) will close at 12:01 am, local time, on August 30, 2022.

• Red grouper recreational harvest will be closed until the 2023 fishing year begins on January 1, 2023.    

Why The Red Grouper Closure Is Happening:

• Landings information received from the Southeast Fisheries Science Center and Southeast Regional Office indicate the 2022 recreational annual catch target (ACT) of 1,840,000 pounds gutted weight (lb gw) is projected to be met on August 29, 2022.

• In accordance with the regulations, NOAA Fisheries must close harvest when the recreational ACT has been met or is projected to be met. Therefore, this closure will begin on August 30, 2022. This closure is needed to prevent overfishing of red grouper (annual catch rate is too high).

During The Closure:

• During the recreational closure, the bag and possession limit are zero for red grouper in or from federal waters of the Gulf.

• The prohibition on possession of Gulf red grouper also applies in Gulf state waters for a vessel issued a valid federal charter vessel/headboat permit for Gulf reef fish.

Frequently Asked Questions

How was the date for this closure chosen?

• NOAA Fisheries receives recreational data from a variety of sources including the Marine Recreational Information Program, the Southeast Region Headboat Survey, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

• There is a delay between when these data are collected and when these data are available for use by scientists and managers. 

• NOAA Fisheries used in-season landings available through wave 2 (January-April 30, 2022), and average landings during May-August 2020-2021 to project the date for the recreational red grouper closure. 

• Projections indicate that the ACT of 1,840,000 lb gw will be met as of August 29, 2022. Therefore, NOAA Fisheries will close recreational harvest of red grouper as of 12:01 a.m., August 30, 2022.

Why is NOAA Fisheries closing recreational red grouper when the ACT is projected to be met?

• If red grouper recreational landing exceed the annual catch limit (ACL) in a given year, the red grouper ACT for the following fishing year is maintained at the level of the prior year’s ACT, unless the best scientific information available determines that maintaining the prior year’s ACT is unnecessary. In addition, the length of that following year’s recreational fishing season will be reduced to ensure that the recreational ACT is not exceeded in that following year. 

• In 2021, recreational red grouper landings exceeded the ACL. Because the recreational ACL was exceeded last year, regulations require NOAA Fisheries to close the recreational sector in 2022 if the ACT is met or projected to be met. NOAA Fisheries has projected that the ACT of 1.84 million pounds gutted weight will be met as of August 29, 2022, and is closing harvest for the remainder of the year.

About Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional Fishery Management Councils established by the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976. The Council prepares fishery management plans, which are designed to manage fishery resources within the 200-mile limit of the Gulf of Mexico.