New regulations for recreational harvest of Atlantic gag and black grouper take effect today

Beginning Oct. 28, new rules for recreational harvest of gag and black grouper will go into effect for Atlantic state waters, including all waters of Monroe County. This change is consistent with recently implemented regulations in adjacent Atlantic federal waters.

The recreational management changes for gag and black grouper include:

• Establishing a combined two-fish recreational vessel limit
• Prohibiting for-hire captain and crew bag limit retention

The recreational bag limit of one gag or black grouper per person per day for private and for-hire recreational vessels will not change.

In 2024, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved recreational management changes for gag and black grouper to be consistent with current and pending federal changes to help rebuild to the gag grouper stock.

Consistent regulations between state and federal waters can help improve the stock status of these fisheries, prevent federal closures while allowing harvest opportunities coast-wide and aid in enforcement.

For current recreational grouper regulations, visit MyFWC.com/Marine and click on "Recreational Regulations," "Reef Fish" and then "Grouper" or download the Fish Rules App.