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FWC and Florida Congressmen Oppose Federal Plan for Gulf Grouper (Seawatch, August 2005)
by Ted Forsgren, CCA Florida Executive Director
Protests continue over a proposal to close the Gulf grouper fishery for three months.
It all started in April when the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) indicated an intent to enact major new restrictions on the recreational fishery for red and gag grouper in the Gulf of Mexico. The proposed action was caused by a bizarre, and unprecedented increase in the "estimated" recreational catch of red grouper in 2004.
The management changes being considered by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (as recommended by NMFS) include lowering the recreational aggregate grouper bag limit to three fish in which only one can be a red grouper, and prohibiting all recreational take of red and gag grouper for three months this year. The current grouper aggregate bag limit is five per person per day of which two can be red grouper. Recreational take of grouper is open all year.
Ironically, these draconian recreational restrictions are being proposed at the same time NMFS allows commercial longline boats a 10,000-pound trip limit.
Because the Gulf of Mexico red and gag grouper fisheries exist almost exclusively off the Florida coast, CCA requested that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) become involved in the issue to prevent the virtual elimination of the recreational grouper fisheries. CCA also recommended that the FWC petition NMFS for the authority to develop management plans and regulations for Gulf red and gag grouper off of Florida.
At its meeting in June, the FWC voted unanimously to oppose the NMFS proposals. Instead, the Commissioners recommended reducing the red grouper bag limit from two to one per day.
CCA Florida applauded the Commission’s decision and urged NMFS to abandon their proposal and support the FWC recommendation. Lowering the bag limit would responsibly address any problem that may exist in the red grouper fishery without closing the entire grouper fishery for three months.
CCA also feels it is important for NMFS to compare the adverse economic impacts of major new restrictions on the recreational fishery versus reallocating a portion of the commercial grouper longline take to the recreational fishery.
Florida Congressional Delegates Oppose NMFS Proposal
In addition to the FWC’s action, nine members of Florida’s congressional delegation led by U.S. Congressman Adam Putnam (R-Bartow) have sent a letter to Dr. William Hogarth, director of NMFS, indicating great concern over the federal proposal.
The June 17 letter states, "To place a three month moratorium on recreational grouper fishing would place an undue hardship on the many men and women who earn a living in this industry and would not be a feasible long-term solution to ensuring that the red grouper population is protected."
Members of Florida’s Congressional delegation who signed the letter are:
Ander Crenshaw (R-Jacksonville)
Jeff Miller (R-Pensacola)
Kendrick Meek (D-Miami)
Connie Mack (R-Ft. Myers)
Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Brooksville)
Michael Bilirakis (R-Palm Harbor)
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Miami)
Tom Feeney (R-Orlando).
Landings Estimates Questioned
The federal proposal against recreational anglers is based on a questionable increase in the "estimated" recreational catch of red grouper in 2004. NMFS claims that the estimated recreational landings of Gulf red grouper went from 1.536 million pounds in 2003 to 3.530 million pounds in 2004, a whopping 130 percent increase! Such an increase is unprecedented in the history of red grouper landings since regulations began 14 years ago. Those years saw dramatic reductions in landings resulting from new regulations but no such increase ever occurred. The estimates become even more suspect when you consider that Florida anglers and fishing activity was impacted by a record four major hurricanes in 2004.
Perhaps more importantly, the early recreational catch numbers for the first four months of this year are back down, and more in line with the landings of 2001 through 2003. That fact alone throws into question the 2004 estimates.
CCA Florida has consistently held that commercial longlines have been the long-standing and major problem in the red grouper fishery. Commercial fishers take more than 80 percent of the total pounds of red grouper landed and longliners take 60-70 percent of those commercial landings. In 2001, the FWC voted unanimously to prohibit commercial grouper longlining out to 50 fathoms; however, NMFS chose not to take action on the recommendation.
It’s also become apparent that the federal proposal is being forced on the recreational sector in order to fit a plan that favors and sustains the commercial longline fleet. The NMFS plan would reduce the annual recreational landings to 1.25 million pounds. Yet according to data from the FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, just 25 commercial longline boats took 1.355 million pounds of red grouper. (In 2004, a total of 173 longline boats reported red grouper landings that year.)
In other words, NMFS is proposing a management scheme that would allocate more red grouper landings to 25 commercial longline boats than to millions of recreational anglers!
Editor’s note: CCA Florida’s position papers on the NMFS proposal and management of Gulf of Mexico gag and red grouper along with supporting material can be viewed at Positions/grouper.
Also, at press time, no action had occurred regarding a change in regulations for Gulf grouper, however, a decision may have been made by NMFS by the time you receive this issue of Seawatch.
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Seven Legislators and Attorney General Selected for Legislative Conservation Awards (Seawatch, August 2005)
The lawmakers and Florida’s Attorney General derailed anti-net ban legislation during the 2005 session in Tallahassee.
The Coastal Conservation Association of Florida has selected seven Florida state legislators and Attorney General Charlie Crist to receive Conservation Awards in recognition of their support for marine and fisheries conservation issues during the 2005 Legislative session.
During the early days of the March/April session, bills were introduced in the House and Senate by Panhandle legislators to allow any-sized mesh to be used in the 500-square-foot nets allowed in state waters. Resolutions were also introduced to amend the Florida constitution to allow the return of gill nets, and to remove the constitutional status of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The legislators chosen for recognition, along with the members of CCA Florida, led efforts which successfully stopped all of the legislation.
"These individuals were selected for their efforts in opposing legislation that attempted to return gill nets to state waters," said CCA Florida Chairman David Howton. "Their support for the net ban was instrumental in protecting our marine resources from the wasteful practices of the past."
Legislators chosen to receive Legislative Conservation Awards include:
Senator Mike Bennett (R–Bradenton)
Senator Paula Dockery (R–Lakeland)
Senator Ken Pruitt (R–Port St. Lucie)
Representative Marty Bowen (R–Winter Haven)
Representative Donna Clarke (R–Sarasota)
Representative Andy Gardiner (R–Orlando)
Representative Jack Seiler (D–Pompano Beach).
The CCA Florida Board of Directors has also chosen Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist to receive a Special Award for his role in protecting marine conservation by opposing the net ban legislation. Attorney General Crist analyzed the language in the two bills concerning gill nets and found it to be unconstitutional. His office released a statement alerting legislators to that affect early in the process, helping to prevent possible lengthy court battles if the net ban bills had passed.
"Florida’s anglers should take the time to thank these individuals for their strong commitment and excellent work on these issues," said CCA Florida Executive Director Ted Forsgren.
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NMFS Backs Off Plan to Permit Longlines in Protected Areas (Seawatch, August 2005)
Conservationists won an important victory with a decision by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) not to allow six longline vessels access to areas off the Florida coast that have been closed to commercial swordfish long-lining for many years.
In April the agency stated a desire to permit the longline operations to determine if gear modifications or new techniques could be found to avoid incidentally-caught white marlin, blue marlin, bluefin tuna and sea turtles, while allowing for the targeted catches of allowed species. Two areas that would have been affected, the Gulf Stream off of Florida’s East coast and the DeSoto Canyon area off of the Florida Panhandle have undergone dramatic recovery and increased abundance of sailfish, swordfish, dolphin and wahoo since longlines were banned.
Although reducing bycatch is an important need in the commercial longline industry, CCA Florida felt that allowing commercial longline boats to fish in these protected areas under the guise of "research" was unwarranted, unnecessary and bad public policy. In addition, NMFS allowed only a seven-day notice period for public comments. "It showed disdain for input from the general public," said Ted Forsgren, CCA Florida executive director.
Instead of using the protected areas, CCA felt that longliners and NMFS have virtually the entire Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico to conduct their so-called bycatch research. Added Forsgren, "It looked more like a special deal for six longliners to have access to closed areas than legitimate research."
Despite the short comment period, members of CCA Florida and other marine conservation groups delivered a barrage of comments opposing the plan.
Within a few weeks NMFS issued a statement that it had "considered the public comments received... and has decided not to proceed with issuing exempted fishing permits until such time as an Environmental Impact Statement is prepared to assess the impacts associated with fishing in existing pelagic longline closed areas."
Instead, NMFS has stated it will proceed with bycatch reduction research in areas currently open to pelagic longline fishing, and added that "Further consideration of bycatch reduction research inside of closed areas may occur upon completion of an EIA."
"CCA will continue to oppose any attempt to return longlines to areas where they have been prohibited," said Forsgren.
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