Coastal Conservation Association (CCA)

NMFS’ Grouper Ruling Angers Fishermen

By Ted Forsgren
CCA Florida Executive Director
TIDE
Sept/Oct 2005

The National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) issuance of interim regulations to reduce the recreational red grouper limit to one fish and prohibit all recreational angling for all Gulf grouper in November and December has anglers, U.S. Congressmen and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission up in arms.

“We have always supported strong conservation rules to protect the resource,” said David Howton, chairman of CCA Florida. “But these draconian measures are based on questionable estimates from last year and are being recommended at a time when NMFS is allowing all commercial longline boats a 10,000-pound trip limit.”

In April, NMFS announced its intent to enact, by interim rule, major new restrictions on the recreational fishery for red and gag grouper in the Gulf of Mexico. The action was fueled by a bizarre and unprecedented increase in the “estimated” recreational catch of red grouper in 2004. Because Gulf gag and red grouper are Florida fisheries almost exclusively, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) urged NMFS to hold public hearings in Florida on the plan. Hundreds of recreational anglers, charter boat captains and other recreational industry interests turned out at the hearings to protest the restrictions.

Furthermore, seven members of Florida’s Congressional delegation, led by U.S. Congressman Adam Putnam, sent a letter to Dr. William Hogarth, director of NMFS, expressing concern over the proposal.

The congressional letter stated in part: “To place a three-month moratorium on recreational grouper fishing would place an undue hardship on the many men and women who earn a living in the industry and would not be a feasible long-term solution to ensuring that the red grouper population is protected.”

NMFS chose to ignore both the Florida congressional delegation and overwhelming public sentiment.

It has become apparent that the federal proposal is being pushed on the recreational sector in order to fit a plan that favors and sustains the commercial longline fleet. In fact, NMFS’ stated goal is to reduce the annual recreational landings to 1.25 million pounds. Yet according to data from the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, just 25 commercial longline boats took 1.355 million pounds of red grouper in 2004.

“NMFS’ management scheme will allocate more red grouper to 25 commercial longline boats than to all the recreational anglers fishing in the Gulf of Mexico.” said Howton. “It’s a continuation of a policy that manages grouper by simply taking fish away from the recreational sector.”

Past federal management of Gulf gag grouper has been particularly inequitable. For example, 11 years of federal gag grouper regulations caused the annual recreational landings, after federal regulations, to be reduced by 42 percent. During the same time period commercial landings actually increased. The recovery of Gulf gag grouper was done entirely on the backs of recreational anglers. In fact, the increase in commercial landings delayed the recovery and resulted in even greater restrictions on the recreational take.

Now it appears NMFS is taking a similar tack with management of Gulf red grouper.

The new regulations are based on claims that estimated recreational landings of red grouper increased from 1.536 million pounds in 2003 to 3.530 million pounds in 2004, an unprecedented increase that hasn’t been seen in the 14 years since regulations were first enacted. Previous years have actually seen dramatic reductions brought on by new regulations. The statistics become even more suspect when you consider that four major hurricanes hit Florida in 2004, obviously reducing the amount of time anglers spent grouper fishing.

Another fact that throws into question the 2004 estimate is 2005 data which shows that the early recreational catch numbers for the first four months of this year are back down, and more in line with the landings of 2001 through 2003.

The FWC voted to strongly oppose the new regulations and instead recommended reducing the red grouper bag limit by one and making no change to the total limit of five grouper. That action would have addressed any problem that may exist within the stock while still maintaining a year-round, viable recreational grouper fishery. The Commission has also questioned the interpretation NMFS has put on the increase in recreational landings.

In a letter to the regional director for NMFS, the FWC Chairman, H.S. “Herky” Huffman, wrote, “It is disheartening that if recruitment had been poor in 2004 and the recreational harvest has been below the 1.25 million pound target, nothing would have been said or done even though the recovery plan would not be meeting its goals. But now, recovery appears to have jumped ahead of schedule and catch-per-effort has increased, but this is being interpreted as a problem. That inconsistency suggests that we need to carefully measure management responses to data fluctuations and how we interpret landings information.”

However, as it did with the hundreds of citizens who voiced their objections to increased recreational restrictions, the federal fisheries service simply rejected the Commission’s recommendations as well.

“The federal action is a massive blunder,” said Ted Forsgren, executive director of CCA Florida. “In a single decision they have totally disregarded and alienated the agencies and interests that they need in order to have a successful Gulf grouper management plan.”

As this column goes to press, CCA is intensively reviewing all options, including legal action, to respond to this latest development and will keep its members informed on future efforts to reverse regulations that will impose huge and unwarranted economic damage based on a single bizarre increase in the estimated catch in a single year. Visit www.ccaflorida.org for the latest red grouper information.