Reminder: Gulf of Mexico Grouper Closure Starts Feb 1

Just a friendly reminder to everyone that starting February 1, the recreational harvest of shallow water groupers (gag, red, black, yellowfin, yellowmouth, scamp, rock hind, and red hind) in state and federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico is prohibeted until March 31. Many of these species spawn during this time of the year, and the closure is an effort to help protect spawning aggregations. More specifically, the closure is  intended to help rebuild Gulf gag grouper populations, which have been designated as overfished and experiencing overfishing by fishery managers. To see a press release from FWC on the closure, click here.
Because it is illegal to harvest grouper during this time period, it is important that anglers utilize proper handling and release practices to ensure any grouper they do catch, survive once released. To learn more about proper catch and release handling practices visit: http://catchandrelease.org/