Tilefish Good as Gold … Good as Gone

Whelp, there it is, and there it goes.

Just as the March 2024 issue of Florida Sportsman rolled off the presses and into mailboxes, federal fisheries authorities announced an early closure for golden tilefish in South Atlantic waters. Those are golden tilefish the man is holding on the magazine cover, which was planned weeks before the magazine staff (or anyone) was alerted to the coming closure.

Today (Feb. 28) is the last day for recreational anglers to fish for golden tilefish in South Atlantic waters. Federal fisheries authorities project we’ll have met our annual catch limit of 2,635 fish by Feb. 29, and so they announced an early closure. Here’s the link. The commercial sector gets to fish longer—they’re allocated the lion’s share of the catch each year, an imbalance which needs correction.

Gulfside, the golden tilefish season remains open; the fishery there isn’t as tightly regulated … yet.