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It is completely inappropriate to close gag grouper, a major recreational fishery, to address a suggested release mortality issue in the red grouper recreational fishery which is only a minor component of the overfishing problem in red grouper. In recent years, 87% of the red grouper landings were commercial, only 13% were recreational.
· Release mortality from recreational fishers is already factored into the red and gag grouper management measures. Furthermore, unlike commercial longlining, the overwhelming majority of recreational grouper fishing occurs in water less than 80 feet deep where release mortality is low.
· The gulf red grouper stocks have been hammered into an overfished condition by the commercial longline fleet, not by recreational fishermen catching gag grouper.
· Gulf gag grouper stocks are not overfished.
· Lastly, and most significantly, the Gulf Council’s past actions toward recreational fishermen in gag grouper management have been horribly inequitable. The cumulative impact of eleven years of Gulf Council gag grouper regulations have caused the annual recreational landings, after federal regulations, to be reduced by an average of 42%. Commercial landings have not been reduced at all. In fact, after enactmenting federal regulations, average annual commercial landings have increased by 18%!
After the huge inequity which has already been imposed upon the recreational fishery, the Gulf Council’s “preferred option” to further reduce recreational gag landings with a major four month closure is simply unbelievable.
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