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FB17-033 FISHERY BULLETIN ISSUE DATE: June 14, 2017 CONTACT: Kelli O’Donnell, 727-824-5305, Kelli.ODonnell@noaa.gov

Commercial Harvest of Greater Amberjack in Federal Waters of the Gulf of Mexico Will Close on June 20, 2017

WHAT/WHEN:

Commercial harvest of greater amberjack in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico will close at 12:01 a.m. on June 20, 2017.  Commercial harvest will reopen at 12:01 a.m. (local time) on January 1, 2018.

WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING:

• The latest report for greater amberjack landings through June 12, 2017, indicates 98 percent of the quota was harvested.
• As a result, commercial harvest will close in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico on June 20, 2017.
• This closure is necessary to protect the greater amberjack population.  This population is currently considered overfished (the population is too low) and undergoing overfishing (too many fish being harvested).

• Any person aboard a vessel for which a commercial vessel permit for Gulf reef fish has been issued must comply with the closure regardless of where the fish are harvested. 
• No greater amberjack caught in Gulf of Mexico federal waters after the closure date may be purchased, bartered, traded, or sold. 
• The prohibition of sale does not apply to trade in greater amberjack that were harvested, landed ashore and bartered, traded, or sold before the closure, and held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.