JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Starting Tuesday, fishing for grouper and hogfish reopens in Florida state and federal waters on the Atlantic side. The species of grouper include gag, black, red, yellowmouth, yellowfin, scamp, red hind, rock hind, coney and graysby.
The grouper fishing season will remain open through Dec. 31. Hogfish season will be open through Oct. 31.
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The grouper size limit and daily bag limit vary by species:
| Groupers | Min. Size Limit | Daily Bag Limit | Open Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aggregate bag limit | 3 per person | ||
| Goliath/Nassau | Harvest prohibited | ||
| Gag | 24” TL | 1 Gag or Black within the 3 grouper aggregate | Open May 1-Dec. 31 |
| Black | 24” TL | 1 Gag or Black within the 3 grouper aggregate | Open May 1-Dec. 31 |
| Red | 20" TL | Up to 3 per person within 3 grouper aggregate | Open May 1-Dec. 31 |
| Scamp | 20" TL | Up to 3 per person within 3 grouper aggregate | Open May 1-Dec. 31 |
| Yellowfin | 20" TL | Up to 3 per person within 3 grouper aggregate | Open May 1-Dec. 31 |
| Yellowmouth | 20" TL | Up to 3 per person within 3 grouper aggregate | Open May 1-Dec. 31 |
| Rock Hind/Red Hind | None | Up to 3 per person within 3 grouper aggregate | Open May 1-Dec. 31 |
| Coney/Graysby | None | Up to 3 per person within 3 grouper aggregate | Open May 1-Dec. 31 |
| Yellowedge/Misty | None | Up to 3 per person within 3 grouper aggregate | |
| Warsaw/Speckled Hind | State: None Federal: Harvest prohibited | State: 1 per vessel per day of each species Federal: Harvest prohibited | State: Open year-round Federal: Harvest prohibited |
| Snowy | None | State: 1 per person within the 3 grouper aggregate; Federal: 1 per vessel per day within the 3 grouper aggregate | State: Open year-round Federal: Open May 1 – Aug. 31 |
| Reef fish as bait | must have heads and fins intact through landing | ||
Hogfish regulations underwent changes in August of 2017 due to fears of overfishing. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council designed and implemented a 10 year plan to rebuild the species stock.
The measures included:
- Lowering the Atlantic recreational daily bag limit from five to one fish per harvester.
- Setting an Atlantic recreational harvest season of May 1 through Oct. 31.
- Increasing the Atlantic recreational and commercial minimum size limit from 12 to 16 inches fork length.
- Increasing the Gulf recreational and commercial minimum size limit from 12 to 14 inches fork length.
- Setting the minimum importation and sale size limit to 14 inches fork length statewide.
The size limit increase and recreational season will allow Atlantic hogfish more opportunities to spawn before entering the fishery and, along with a bag limit change, will help rebuild the Keys/east Florida hogfish population to sustainable levels.