FEDERAL MANAGERS TO HOLD FINAL PUBLIC HEARING ON GULF GROUPER REGULATIONS!

VOICE YOUR OPINIONS AT GULF OF MEXICO FISHERY COUNCIL HEARING IN ST. PETERSBURG ON OCTOBER 5.

CCA FLORIDA URGES ALL CCA CHAPTERS, FISHING CLUBS AND ANGLERS TO ORGANIZE, ATTEND THE HEARING AND OPPOSE UNWARRANTED FEDERAL PROPOSALS FOR RECREATIONAL GULF GROUPER FISHING AND TO SUPPORT STATE OF FLORIDA RECOMMENDATIONS!

SITUATION:

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) rejected the recommendations and concerns of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), a delegation of nine Florida congressional members, and hundreds of recreational fishing interests. NMFS instead adopted "interim" regulations which lower the recreational aggregate grouper bag limit from 5 to 3, lowers the maximum limit of 2 for red grouper to 1 (it was just lowered from 5 to 2 in 2004) and prohibits the recreational harvest of all grouper species in the entire Gulf for the months of November and December!

CCA has filed a lawsuit challenging the NMFS interim rule and is urging an expedited hearing and federal court decision before the damaging closures occur in November and December.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (GMFMC) is required to develop regulations to replace the NMFS interim rule when it expires on January 31, 2006. The GMFMC has prepared seven management alternatives for the public hearing. CCA Florida will oppose the federal proposals and urge the Council to adopt the Florida FWC recommendation.

Recreational fishers must continue to actively oppose the unfair and unwarranted federal regulations. Draconian federal measures are being forced on recreational anglers when commercial longline boats are allowed to take red grouper with 10,000 lb., 7,000 lb. and 5,000 lb. trip limits! The federal management scheme allocates more red grouper to 25 commercial longline boats than the amount allocated to all the recreational fishers in the entire Gulf of Mexico!

The Gulf red and gag grouper fisheries exist almost exclusively off of the State of Florida. As a result, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is a major part of the management process. The FWC became actively involved in the issue and urged the feds to hold public hearings in Florida. Hundreds of recreational anglers, charter boat captains and other recreational industry interests attended the Florida hearings to oppose the federal plan. Their primary concern was the imposition of huge and unwarranted economic damage based on a single bizarre increase in the "estimated" catch in one year.

The FWC analyzed the federal fisheries information, received testimony from NMFS, and developed an alternative recommendation. In their June 24, 2005 letter, the FWC urged the feds to just reduce the current 2 fish red grouper recreational bag limit (which had just been reduced from 5) to a 1 fish limit with no season closures. The Commission indicated that their proposal "will accomplish an appropriate and measured response to the situation." On September 22 the FWC held another public hearing on the issue and unanimously voted to maintain their recommendation.

CCA will continue to support the FWC recommendation and adamantly oppose other federal proposals.

ACT NOW! ORGANIZE TO ATTEND THE HEARING AND MAKE YOUR OPINIONS KNOWN!

This Alert Prepared by:
Ted Forsgren
Executive Director
CCA Florida
(850) 224-3474

November 8, 2005