FB25-023: Gulf Fishery Bulletin: For more information, contact: Jesse Buntin, 727-824-5305, Jesse.Buntin@noaa.gov
Bulletin | Southeast | Gulf of America
What/When/Why:
- Federal waters of the Gulf will open to gag recreational harvest at 12:01 a.m., local time, September 1, 2025, and will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, September 15, 2025.
Why The Gag Closure Is Happening:
- NOAA Fisheries projects the 2025 recreational annual catch target will be harvested as of September 14, 2025.
- In accordance with the regulations, NOAA Fisheries must close harvest when the recreational annual catch target has been met or is projected to be met. Therefore, this closure will begin on September 15, 2025.
During The Closure:
- During the recreational closure, the bag and possession limits are zero for gag in or from federal waters of the Gulf.
- The prohibition on possession of gag also applies in Gulf state waters for a vessel issued a valid federal charter vessel/headboat permit for Gulf reef fish.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the catch levels for gag in the Gulf?
- The most recent population assessment (SEDAR 72) for Gulf gag indicated that the stock is overfished and undergoing overfishing.
- Catch limits for Gulf gag are based on the projections from SEDAR 72, which included estimates of private recreational landings in Florida derived from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s State Reef Fish Survey.
- The stock annual catch limit for 2025 is 615,000 pounds gutted weight. The unadjusted recreational annual catch limit and annual catch target for 2025 are 399,000 and 319,000 pounds gutted weight, respectively. Final 2024 landings (252,367 pounds gutted weight) exceeded the 2024 recreational annual catch target and annual catch limit. Reducing the 2025 recreational annual catch limit and annual catch target for gag by the 88,991 pound overage in 2024, results in a 2025 recreational annual catch limit of 310,009 pounds gutted weight and a 2025 recreational annual catch target of 230,009 pounds gutted weight.
How was the recreational gag season determined?
The recreational accountability measures state that NOAA Fisheries will close the recreational sector for the rest of the fishing year when landings are expected to reach the recreational annual catch target. Further, if NOAA Fisheries estimates that recreational landings exceeded the recreational annual catch limit and gag is overfished, then in the following year, NOAA Fisheries will reduce the recreational annual catch limit and annual catch target by the amount of the overage.
- Elevated fishing effort for recreational gag was observed beginning in 2023 following the shortening of the season and shift in start date.
- NOAA Fisheries worked with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to project the fall season length for gag based on the 2024 landings.
- NOAA Fisheries chose to be conservative by selecting a closure date at the low end of the season duration projections, due to the large overage of the catch limits that occurred in 2023 and 2024 and the impacts that would be imparted on the recreational sector in 2026 if an overage of the annual catch limit was to occur in 2025.