Tag Archives: Amberjack
Fishermen, scientists split on closures of triggerfish, amberjack
On any given day, charter boat captain Jeff Lassiter and his customers will catch dozens of gray triggerfish. Then they’ll toss them back in the water. “They’re dang near a nuisance,” But just two weeks before the scheduled Aug. 1 reopening date, national and state fishing officials changed their minds. Because of overfishing, NOAA Fisheries decided not to reopen triggerfish in federal waters this year, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) elected to follow suit. Officials said anglers already had met the allowable catch quota for the year, and to keep going would jeopardize the overall sustainability of the stock. NOAA also opted to not reopen amberjack for the same reasons, which means head boats and charter boat captains, which all have federal permits, will not be able to take customers out to fish for either species. Read the rest here 12:13
Federal agency to shut down 2014 amberjack fishing in the Gulf
NOAA Fisheries
Amberjack, triggerfish seasons set to close
On May 9,
NOAA Fisheries NMFS approved Amendment 37 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico. According to NOAA Fisheries NMFS gray triggerfish are overfished (population abundance is too low) and undergoing overfishing (rate of removal too high). This rule adjusts the commercial and recreational annual catch limits and annual catch targets, establishes a 12-fish commercial trip limit and a two-fish recreational daily bag limit. continued
