The Collapse of the Gulf of Mexico Grouper Fishery

[fishkilla]

they forgot to add Jewfish to the 2022 side. other than that seems mostly accurate.



.

[Ted Brodley]

Originally Posted by fishkilla

they forgot to add Jewfish to the 2022 side. other than that seems mostly accurate.



.

Plenty of keeper red grouper up this way. The most I've seen over the last 20 years.

[fishkilla]

Originally Posted by Ted Brodley

Plenty of keeper red grouper up this way. The most I've seen over the last 20 years.

don't worry the fisheries managers will allow us to fish them out again.

[Ted Brodley]

Originally Posted by fishkilla

don't worry the fisheries managers will allow us to fish them out again.

Looks like they are taking action to keep the red grouper stock healthier.


Recreational harvest of red grouper in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) will close at 12:01 am, local time, on August 30, 2022.
Red grouper recreational harvest will be closed until the 2023 fishing year begins on January 1, 2023.

[grey2112]

I'm actually pretty pleased with this regarding gags. If June 1, 2023 comes around and no one is out there for 3 months underwater targeting them, it will make them easier to harvest in September because they'll have lost their fear of us spearos LOL

[Dbrown]

Gags will receive the updated Sept 1 Memo. The one they typically receive on June 1. I bet that's what'll happen 😎

[captadam123]

Originally Posted by Dbrown

Gags will receive the updated Sept 1 Memo. The one they typically receive on June 1. I bet that's what'll happen 😎

The unfortunate truth. But again my stance remains, the gag fishery is healthy inshore regardless of what these agencies and commercial guys proclaim. We have no issue finding gags. But oh well, now i feel bad for the hogfish and mangos

[fishkilla]

Originally Posted by captadam123

The unfortunate truth. But again my stance remains, the gag fishery is healthy inshore regardless of what these agencies and commercial guys proclaim. We have no issue finding gags. But oh well, now i feel bad for the hogfish and mangos

It would be great to see some GoPro footage of these places that you claim to have healthy populations of gags. When I first started diving inshore in the late 90's we would see on some ledges and rock piles 50 undersized gags with about a dozen keepers mixed in. I haven't seen anything like that since about 2009/2010.

There were times when viz wasn't great in 40 ft that as you got close enough to see the bottom the entire sea floor would move. There would be hundreds of mostly undersized gags nervously running around.

In the early 2000's we were in the South end of the Grounds in January. Viz was amazing. I remember looking down and thinking, "looks at all the big mangos way up in the water column." They were all gags. It was a giant spawning aggregation. The "smaller" fish were up the highest and they got bigger as you approached the bottom. I don't think there has been a spawning group of gags in the grounds for 15 years.

If you never saw what it used to be like then diving today doesn't look so bad.







.

[sharpshooter]

Ben, you think the 90's and early 2000's were great. It was even better when I got out of the Navy and started diving again here in early 80's. The "ole timers" told me it was even better in the 60's and 70's. Still remember the 10 gag/day limit. No Strike Lines or CMOR chips, Loran C replaced Loran A. No GPS. Paper machines vs. todays side scan, front scan, etc.. People guarded their spots more than they did their wife or girlfriend.

[captadam123]

Originally Posted by fishkilla

It would be great to see some GoPro footage of these places that you claim to have healthy populations of gags. When I first started diving inshore in the late 90's we would see on some ledges and rock piles 50 undersized gags with about a dozen keepers mixed in. I haven't seen anything like that since about 2009/2010.

There were times when viz wasn't great in 40 ft that as you got close enough to see the bottom the entire sea floor would move. There would be hundreds of mostly undersized gags nervously running around.

In the early 2000's we were in the South end of the Grounds in January. Viz was amazing. I remember looking down and thinking, "looks at all the big mangos way up in the water column." They were all gags. It was a giant spawning aggregation. The "smaller" fish were up the highest and they got bigger as you approached the bottom. I don't think there has been a spawning group of gags in the grounds for 15 years.

If you never saw what it used to be like then diving today doesn't look so bad.







.

I dont wear GoPro every dive and of course nothing is like the 80s-90's. Have you seen some of Dan McMahon videos? The people to cry the most about the state of the fishery are usually the commercial guys that are the most responsible. If your so concerned then hang it up and do something else.

[fishkilla]

why can't we have a fishery that is as healthy as the 80's and 90's? i have seen Dans videos. many of them lately are from over 5 years ago. are the comm guys the most responsible for the state of the fishery? i was in the grounds yesterday on a rec boat. i didn't see 1 comm boat but i did see 13 rec boats in the 4 mile area we worked. i sold my boat, permit and all my quota because the party is over and the hangover is about to be very harsh.

nobody left me any buffalo



.

[captadam123]

we can have that fishery back, all they have to do is stop selling fish to the public. You want it go get it. The only way

[sharpshooter]

I was in the MG too and only saw rec boats either diving or fishing. Didn't see 1 bandit boat. Years ago would always see a few bandit boats working the MG. Guess, they cant make a living there.

[SUBH2OHNTR]

Originally Posted by fishkilla

why can't we have a fishery that is as healthy as the 80's and 90's? i have seen Dans videos. many of them lately are from over 5 years ago. are the comm guys the most responsible for the state of the fishery? i was in the grounds yesterday on a rec boat. i didn't see 1 comm boat but i did see 13 rec boats in the 4 mile area we worked. i sold my boat, permit and all my quota because the party is over and the hangover is about to be very harsh.

nobody left me any buffalo



.

The only way we can have a fishery like the 80’s and 90’s is to completely close it down except for a couple months a year. The fish don’t stand a chance with the advanced technology that’s against them. Boats have become more reliable, weather forecasts are almost always wrong but twice as good as they were 30-40 years ago and with most people having a PLB or epirb these days there is a huge comfort level for those going offshore which means more people are going. How about the electronics ? When I was a kid I remember dad’s Loran and his paper bottom machine. I remember days where things were off and he would have a hard time finding the Crane for gods sake. Now we can return to a single 10ft diameter rock or pile in 120ft of water every time. Sidescan is on just about every boat going offshore now and new spots are found on every trip. I guess the short version is that 30-40 years ago you had limited tools and really needed to be on your A game now with all the tools at our disposal it’s easier than ever


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SUBH2OHNTR]

I’m not saying I’m for closures but if you want it to be like it was I feel it’s the only way


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk