It seems that as the years go by, more and more regulations are being put on fish in the name of conservation. Unfortunately, not all regs seem to be implemented because of actual declining fish populations and thats what leaves many recreational anglers scratching their heads and wondering WHY THEN? As a captain who makes his living on the water, I can tell you that sometimes they get it right, but sometimes they don't. In the case of the updated Cobia regulations, we were originally allowed to keep two fish per angler and it had to measure 33 inches to the fork. A few years later, they decided that it needed to be 36 inches to the fork and only 1 fish per angler. By that time, there was a noticeable difference in the amount of fish we were catching so it did seem justified. It was for sure on the decline and I think that such a proactive action was necessary. Now we are 38 inches to the fork and still 1 fish per angler. That makes it pretty hard to find a keeper fish, but if Cobia are truly in need of a recovery I believe that again, the regulation is justified.
In the case of the red snapper though, reef fish anglers are having a hard time catching other fish because there are so many red snapper it makes it difficult to fish for any other species that you CAN actually keep. Yet, the strict regulations and extremely limited seasons are leaving fisherman wondering, where are they getting their data from?
Two years ago our Gag Grouper Season was still June 1st - Dec 31st with a two fish limit. Although the minimum size limit did jump from 22 inches to 24 inches back in 2016, no one really considered that a bad thing given it was probably a good conservation practice with such an increase in fishing popularity. With the number of new anglers targeting our shallow water grouper fishery, an update to a larger keeper sized Gag Grouper was inevitable, but little did we know what was coming years later.
Last year, the Gag Grouper season was cut short from 6 Months to 6 weeks! Originally set to run from September 1st to November the 10th, it was abruptly cut short in mid October and the reason given was...we had reached the Grouper Quota Limit. When many anglers looked deep into the numbers, they didn't add up. Large portions of that limit were supposedly taken from shore which is not a common practice by any stretch. Again people are questioning the math. I think on an issue like this that affects so many people from charter boat operations, to recreational anglers to commercial fisherman, transparency and accurate data is a must.
I also think the battle between commercial fisherman and recreational anglers is fueled by decisions like this. Commercial anglers are arguing that they need the lions share because they are feeding the country. The recreational angler who spends the money on gas, bait and chum feels he is putting in the time to harvest his own fish and he should have the ability to do so, but this issue also becomes an economic one that overflows into other related businesses as well. I've had many people who live along the Gulf Coast who were avid grouper fisherman 6 months out of the year who now say they can no longer justify owning a boat for such a short season. I've seen the local Tackle Shop have to put all of their extra inventory they purchased for the season on clearance just to get rid of it. Charter guides who made a large portion of their money on grouper trips are having to find new ways to attract clients. This decision is not one that should ever be taken lightly and with so many lives being affected, I think it deserves the very best people running the conservation efforts and not a bunch of government scientists who want to turn the Gulf of Mexico into an Aquarium.
So where are we now? Although 2 inches longer to keep a grouper did not seem like much a few years ago, 2 weeks is. Thats what we now have... 2 weeks! Our original 6 month Gag Grouper Season will now be cut short to a mere 2 weeks for 2024. Was this a problem that just snuck up on everyone? How could we go from 6 months to 2 weeks in just 2 short years? I think a lot of people have a lot of explaining to do and I think the fisherman who support our fisheries with their hard earned money are owed a DETAILED explanation that makes sense and uses REAL data and not guess work from randomly dropped fish traps or numbers provided by a commercial industry that thinks it deserves more.
In the meantime, catch what you can as soon as you can, cause you never know when the hammer will drop and the season will be cut short again. If you are interested in catching some Gag Grouper we would be happy to take you out there, but with so few days to fish, our openings are limited, but we can always recommend some other great captains in the area. We can also do catch and release trips throughout the year along with some other local species to make for a great day on the water!