Leaders of the fight to stop the pending closure of most grouper fishing in the Keys will soon have a telephone meeting with Secretary of the Commerce Gutierrez to voice their protests and concerns. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Monroe) has arranged a conference call among Gutierrez, whose office will approve or reject the pending closure, and a group of leaders of a growing grassroots protest against the closure.

The closure is meant to protect stocks of gag grouper, a fish not so nearly as common or as sought-after in Keys waters as red grouper and black grouper. That the closure would also ban fishing for those two and other popular grouper species is the main objection of opponents of the closure.

If enacted by the Department of Commerce, the closure will take effect January 1st, 2009, and last through April—the most important 4 months of the entire year for tourism, including charter fishing in Keys waters. By the expiration of the closure, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council would be expected to have a longer-term plan to protect gag grouper stocks.

“Time is of the essence in this fight,” said Capt. Bill Kelly of Islamorada, one leader of the fight against the closure. “The procedure for enacting the closure is moving along faster than we’d anticipated, and we may have to take action even sooner than we expected. If necessary, we’re prepared to file a lawsuit to stop this closure.”

Currently, Kelly and other involved parties are examining the well-known 2005 legal case that overturned a similar grouper fishing ban in the Gulf of Mexico. In that case, a federal judge ruled that the Department of Commerce could ban red grouper fishing for two months, but could not ban grouper fishing for 16 other grouper species at the same time to protect those red grouper stocks, on the grounds that the ban was too broad. The case may well turn out to be a precedent for any case lodged against the Keys grouper ban.

Kelly and Capt. Andy Griffiths of Key West led a meeting on Monday evening at Key West’s City Hall to organize support for the protest. The event was well-attended by anglers, charter captains and concerned business people.

“The fishing community in Key West seems to be stepping up to the plate,” said Greg Oropeza, of Key West, after the meeting. “We’re also pursuing the tourism industry to actively voice their objections. The Mayor of Key West was in attendance tonight and the elected officials are expected to pass resolutions asking the governor to object to the amendment.”

Organizers encourage all concerned anglers to write letters voicing their opinions about the closure to their elected representatives.

“Even if you don’t live in the Keys,” Oropeza said, “but you enjoy grouper fishing in Keys waters during the winter, or in the Tortugas, off Miami, anywhere in South Florida, please take five minutes to write or call the Secretary of Commerce.”

A short list of addresses:

US Department of Commerce
Secretary Carlos Gutierrez
1401 Constitution Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20230

Follow-up with a call to make sure they've received your letter: (202) 482-2000

Duane Harris
Chairman
South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council
4055 Faber Place Dr, Suite 201
N. Charleston, SC 29405

Kim Iverson
Public Information Officer
South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council
4055 Faber Place Dr, Suite 201
N. Charleston, SC 29405

Sarah Gamino
Legislative Director
Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-18)
2160 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-5620

Contacts for Keys-wide protest of the pending closure:

Charter Captains Andy Griffiths of Key West, and Bill Kelly of Islamorada, have been at the forefront of efforts against the closure, but many other citizens are now joining their call for a reconsideration of the shutdown.

Captain Andy Griffiths can be reached at: (305) 797-2639; fishandy@fishandy.com.

Captain Bill Kelly: (305) 394-5333.

For more details about last night's meeting or details about local fishing, interested anglers can also call Rob Harris, owner of Conchy Joe’s Bait and Tackle in Key West at (305) 295 7745.

To follow the latest developments and contribute your efforts, check out the Grassroots Grouper fight thread in the FS Forum, Keys General section.