Gulf of Mexico Grouper

Beginning on May 18th, there will be a reduction in the supply of shallow-water grouper in the Gulf of Mexico due to an emergency closure of the bottom longline fishery to address bycatch of endangered sea turtles.

The challenge

Late last year, an analysis of new data indicated a high incidence of sea turtle bycatch in the Gulf of Mexico bottom longline fishery. Further, most of the sea turtles killed were loggerheads, a species protected as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This level of bycatch is of particular concern as there has been a drastic, documented decline in loggerhead nesting on Florida beaches in recent years.

Under the ESA, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council were required to take swift action to reduce fishing impacts immediately. In January, the Council requested that NMFS implement an emergency rule to close the bottom longline fishery in waters less than 50 fathoms for the entire eastern Gulf of Mexico. Most shallow-water grouper is caught within that boundary using longline fishing gear, so there will be a shortage in the supply of grouper this season, red grouper in particular.

This temporary rule went into effect on May 18th and is expected to last until the Council and NMFS develop a long-term plan to ensure the fishery does not pose a grave threat to sea turtles. The Council has begun drafting an amendment to the existing plan to propose alternative measures to deal with the sea turtle-longline interactions. The NMFS Science Center will then analyze those alternatives along with more recent information on loggerhead sea turtle status (including the updated information on how many turtles are caught by longlines) and present a “biological opinion,” which will determine whether the fishery poses a threat to the continued existence of this threatened species (also known as “jeopardy”).

Latest Updates

At its April meeting, the Council voted to accept a compromise agreement put together by Ocean Conservancy, Oceana, and the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Bottom Longline Fishing fleet as its “Preferred Alternative” to reduce interactions between threatened loggerhead sea turtles and longline fishing gear. With this agreement, the fishermen would be able to continue fishing, but areas of the Gulf where the majority of the interactions have taken place would be off-limits.

This compromise does not effect the emergency action to close the fishery on May 18th. The temporary closure is still needed and will be a productive, necessary step in protecting threatened sea turtles while the Council and NMFS move forward on a long-term solution.

Read the Press Release: Temporary Closure of Longline Fishery a Necessary Step to Prevent Further Fatalities Amongst Threatened Turtles

Next Steps

There will now be an opportunity for public comment on the Preferred Alternative measures prior to the next Gulf Council meeting, to be held June 15 - 18. The Council and NMFS must await the Biological Opinion report to ensure these proposed measures will indeed reduce sea turtle interactions enough to ensure the continued existence of the species. The Council can take “final action” and submit the amendment to the Department of Commerce for approval at either the June or the August Council meetings. If the measures are sufficient to avoid jeopardy to loggerheads (as determined by the Biological Opinion), the fishery will be re-opened under the amended management rules.

In addition, several longline fishermen have expressed an interest in transitioning to vertical-line gear and the conservation community is working with them to secure funding to speed that process. Though there is minimal data on sea turtle takes in the vertical-line fishery, the gear is expected to have less interaction with turtles, and lower probability of turtle death when hooked, since vertical-line gear does not remain in the water as long.

Information for Seafood Buyers

While there will be a reduction in the availability of red grouper during the emergency closure, the reef fish fishery is still open. There are just over 300 commercial vertical-line fishing boats in the eastern Gulf that will continue to target reef fish, including shallow-water grouper species. In addition, longline fishermen can continue to target deepwater grouper species until the quota is met, likely later this summer.

Learn More about Longline Fishing and Loggerhead Sea Turtles

For more information, please contact fisheries@oceanconservancy.org