Leaders of the fight to stop the pending, January 1 closure of the shallow- water grouper fishery in the Atlantic and the Keys will meet with SAFMC chair Roy Crabtree Wednesday, October 15, and speak with Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez later this week. Meanwhile, anglers at the helm of the protest against the closure urge all interested anglers and stakeholders in the fishery to write letters stressing their opinions of the grouper shutdown to their representatives.

While the pending closure will make it illegal to keep a wide variety of grouper species anywhere in South Atlantic region as of January 1, South Florida and Keys anglers have, so far, been the strongest and most forceful protesters of the move. That’s because for anglers in those waters, black grouper and red grouper are the primary targeted species. The closure, ostensibly to protect the less frequently captured gag grouper, therefore seems arbitrary and broad, with serious damaging consequences to their sport, and to their fishery-related businesses.

The closure is an interim rule to be put in place while Amendment 16, which covers grouper and snapper fisheries, continues its way through the enactment process. Also contained in Amendment 16 are changes to regulations for vermillion snapper, another popular, and by many accounts plentiful species in South Atlantic waters.

Captain Skip Dana, who runs two well-known and popular party boats out of Pompano Beach, the Fish City Pride and the Helen S Six, says he’s seeing better vermillion snapper fishing than he has for a decade.

“I’m not for these closures,” says Dana. “I’d much prefer to see a reduced bag limit, and even before that, a reduction in commercial fishing for these species. I think this is going to have a big effect on many, many businesses, and honestly I don’t think that the average recreational angler out there knows what is coming his way in January,” Dana concluded.

Captain Bill Kelly of Islamorada, one of the point-men in the effort to stop the closure, says support from anglers across the state and even across the country who have, or who want to fish for grouper in South Florida and in the Keys, will be invaluable to their efforts.

Kelly has provided Florida Sportsman with the key points that he and his colleagues will discuss with Crabtree, Gutierrez and other officials—points which anglers can keep in mind when formulating their own letters.

The basic concerns of anglers protesting the grouper closure are:

• There is no solid science to support a closure on any of the species. Not one single recent SEDAR stock assessment has been conducted on any of the other species.

• Why the rush to close our tourist and fishing season on grouper? A SEDAR stock assessment is scheduled in the South Atlantic for black grouper in June of 2009.

• Gag grouper are a temperate-water species, not sub-tropical. Scientific evidence has shown they do not intermingle with other grouper species in any abundance.

• Unlike any other area, Monroe County for-hire, recreational and commercial fishermen volunteered a one-year closure on gag grouper and reduced bag limits of 60% on all grouper species in exchange for keeping the season open year-round. We were turned down.

• In a similar case in the Gulf of Mexico in 2005 known as CCA v. Carlos Gutierrez, a federal judge ruled you cannot shutdown all species of grouper to protect one unless you have science to support that the other species are undergoing overfishing or are overfished.

• Neither the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council nor the National Marine Fisheries Service has conducted the required financial impact studies and environmental impact assessments to determine what affect this closure will have on small coastal communities and businesses.

• Recent estimates indicate for-hire and recreational fishing efforts are down 55% on average. And industry surveys estimate 25 to 35% of the 1,200 for-hire businesses in the state of Florida will cease to exist between June of 2008 and June of 2009.

Persons who will meet on Wednesday, October 15 to discuss the closure:

• Capt. Hank Brown, Founder of Hook-Up Lures, Former President of the Upper Keys Guides Association

• Capt. George Clark, Jr., President of Key Largo Guides Association

• Dr. Roy Crabtree, NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Region Administrator, Member of Gulf & South Atlantic councils

• Capt. Richard Grathwohl, President of Marathon Guides Association

• Capt. Andy Griffiths, Stakeholder and Key West For-Hire Representative

• Capt. Rob Harris, Owner of Conchy Joe’s Marine & Tackle in Key West

• Capt. Richard Houde, President of Key West Charter Boat Men’s Association

• Capt. Bill Kelly, Moderator, SAFMC Snapper/Grouper A/P Member

• Capt. Steve Leopold, President of Islamorada Charter Boat Association

• Capt. Joe Petrucco, Vice-President of Islamorada Charter Boat Association

• Capt. Jim Sharpe, Chairman, Monroe County Tourist Development Council Fishing Umbrella

• Capt. Brad Simonds, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Committee

• Capt. Bouncer Smith, Stakeholder & South Florida For-Hire Representative

• Mr. Scott Zimmerman, Executive Director of the Florida Keys Commercial Fisherman’s Association

WHAT

Today’s meeting will include a general discussion of SAFMC Amendment 16 and the Interim Rule applicable to gag and other species of grouper. As part of Amendment 16 and the Interim Rule, a closure on certain types of grouper fishing is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2009 and last through April 30, 2009. Dr. Crabtree will review Council objectives, answer questions and participate in a general discussion regarding economic impacts and efforts to reach alternatives to a fishery closure.

“We need letters sent to these people to emphasize support for our position on this pending closure,” says Kelly. “Of utmost importance are these three [listed below].”

Secretary Carlos Gutierrez
U.S. Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20230
202-482-2000

Mr. Duane Harris, Chair
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council
4055 Faber Place Drive, Suite 201
North Charleston, SC 29405
843-571-4366

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