Gulf of Mexico Fishing Seasonal Closures
Commercial quota, fishing year, seasonal closures and current status of some Gulf of Mexico species. Species not listed do not currently have seasonal closures or quotas.
| Species or species group | Commercial | Recreational | ||||
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Seasonal closure
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Seasonal closure | |||||
| Red Snapper (For-Hire) | None | Jan 1 - May 31; When quota is met through December 31 Currently OPEN (5) |
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| Red Snapper (Private) | None |
Jan 1 - May 31; Under state management through exempted fishing permits for |
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| Gag | None |
Jan 1 - May 31 (1)
|
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| Red Grouper(4) | None | Feb 1-Mar 31 (3) When quota is met through December 31 Currently OPEN |
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| Other Shallow-water Grouper (2)(4) | None | Feb 1-Mar 31 (3) When quota is met through December 31 Currently OPEN |
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| Greater Amberjack | Mar 1-May 31; or if quota is met CLOSED |
November 1 - April 30 and June 1 - July 31 |
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| Gray Triggerfish | June 1 - July 31; or if quota is met CLOSED |
January 1 - end of February June 1-July 31 When quota is met through December 31 Currently CLOSED |
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| King Mackerel Southern Zone (Gillnet) | July 1-MLK Jr. Day; or if quota is met Currently OPEN |
n/a | ||||
| Hogfish | None | January 1 - April 30 November 1 December 31 Currently OPEN |
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(1) Open June 1-December 31, each year
(2) Other Shallow-water Groupers include black grouper, yellowmouth grouper, scamp, and yellowfin grouper.
(3) This closure occurs in the portion of the Gulf EEZ seaward of coordinates defined in the Federal regulations at paragraph (d) of § 622.34, Seasonal and area closures designed to protect Gulf reef fish. These coordinates approximate the 20-fathom depth contour.
(4) Currently managed under an Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) program. Anyone commercially fishing for this species must possess IFQ allocation and follow established protocols.
(5) As of April 30, 2018 the recreational Greater Amberjack fishing year was modified to be August 1 through July 31 and the fixed closed season was modified to be November 1 through April 30 and June 1 through July 31. As such, the 2018 quota is distributed across the 2017-2018 fishing year, the 2019 quota is distributed across the 2018-2019 fishing year, and the 2020 and beyond quota will be distributed for each subsequent fishing year, which now begins on August 1.
Recreational Quota Closure Analysis
- 2013 Recreational Red Snapper Quota Closure Analysis
- 2012 Recreational Red Snapper Quota Closure Analysis
- 2011 Recreational Red Snapper Quota Closure Analysis
- 2010 Recreational Red Snapper Quota Closure Analysis - Fall Reopening
- 2010 Recreational Red Snapper Quota Closure Analysis - June 1-July 23
- 2009 Recreational Red Snapper Quota Closure Analysis
Please Note: This summary is intended to provide appropriate information to fishers about regulations and the sustainable use of marine fishery resources in the Gulf of Mexico. This summary is for general information purposes. Fishery Regulations are subject to changes. For more information on fishery regulations consult the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR 622 or the NOAA Fisheries Service Southeast Regional Office Fishery Regulation website.
This page provides only a summary of the information regarding the existing regulations. Any discrepancies between this information and the regulations as published in the Federal Register will be resolved in favor of the Federal Register.
