King Mackerel Commercial Fishery to Close in Northern Florida West Coast Subzone
Submitted by Susan Gerhart
October 19, 2009 - Orange Beach, AL (OBA) - The commercial fishery for Gulf group king mackerel in
the northern Florida west coast subzone is closed,
effective 12:01 a.m., October 24, 2009, through June
30, 2010. NOAA Fisheries Service has determined that
the 168,750-pound commercial quota for king mackerel
for this subzone has been reached. This action closes the
commercial fishery for king mackerel in the Gulf of
Mexico from the Alabama/Florida state boundary to the
Lee/Collier County, Florida boundary. Along with the
previous closure of the western zone (September 12,
2009), the commercial fishery for Gulf group king
mackerel is now closed from the U.S./Mexico border to
the Lee/Collier County, Florida boundary.
During the closure period, no person aboard a vessel for
which a commercial permit for king mackerel has been
issued may fish for Gulf group king mackerel in federal
waters in the closed zone or subzone, except for a person
aboard a charter vessel or headboat. A person aboard a
vessel that has a valid charter vessel/headboat permit for
coastal migratory pelagic fish may continue to retain
king mackerel in or from the closed zone/subzone under
the 2-fish daily bag limit, provided the vessel is operating as a charter vessel or headboat. Charter
vessels or headboats that hold a commercial king
mackerel permit are considered to be operating as a
charter vessel or headboat when they carry a passenger
who pays a fee or when more than three persons are
aboard, including operator and crew.
During the closure, no king mackerel caught in the
closed zone/subzone may be purchased, bartered, traded,
or sold. This prohibition of sale does not apply to trade
in king mackerel that were harvested, landed ashore and
bartered, traded, or sold before the closure and held in
cold storage by a dealer or processor.
Closure of this commercial king mackerel fishery complies with regulations implemented under the Fishery Management Plan for Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic and is necessary to protect the Gulf group king mackerel resource. In cooperative actions, the state of Florida is expected to close commercial harvest of king mackerel concurrently in adjoining state waters.
King Mackerel Commercial Fishery in Gulf to Close 