Florida King Mackerel Hook-and-Line Fishing Closing
23 February 2012US - Commercial fishing for Gulf group king mackerel in the southern Florida west coast subzone is closing from 26 February, 2012, for commercial hook-and-line vessels.
An extremely high
volume of landings occurred in the southern zone during
the previous two weeks, rapidly bypassing the 75
per cent trigger to implement a 500-pound trip limit.
NOAA Fisheries Service has determined the 2011/2012
commercial quota of 520,312 pounds of king mackerel
from this subzone will be reached by this date. The
closure will remain in effect through the end of the
fishing year, June 30, 2012.
From November 1 through March 31, the southern
subzone is that part of the Florida west coast subzone off
Collier and Monroe Counties, Florida. This is the area
south and west from 25° 20.4' N. lat. (a line directly east
from the Miami-Dade/Monroe County boundary on the
east coast of Florida) to 26° 19.8' N. lat. (a line directly
west from the Lee/ Collier County boundary on the west
coast of Florida).
Beginning April 1, the boundary between Atlantic and
Gulf groups of king mackerel shifts south and west from
the Flagler/Volusia County boundary on the Florida east
coast to the Monroe/Collier County boundary on the
Florida west coast. Therefore, beginning April 1, the
closed southern subzone is reduced to the area off
Collier County, Florida, between 25° 48' N. lat. and 26°
19.8' N. lat., and Monroe County re-opens to commercial
king mackerel fishing for Atlantic group king mackerel.
Closure of the commercial king mackerel sector in the
Gulf of Mexico southern Florida west coast subzone
complies with regulations implemented under the
Fishery Management Plan for Coastal Migratory Pelagic
Resources of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic.
The closure is necessary to protect the Gulf group king
mackerel resource. In cooperative actions, the state of
Florida will close commercial harvest of king mackerel
concurrently in adjoining state waters.
During the closure period, no person aboard a vessel for
which a commercial permit for king mackerel has been
issued may fish for or retain Gulf group king mackerel in
federal waters of the closed subzone. There is one
exception, however, for a person aboard a charter vessel
or headboat. A person aboard a vessel that has a valid
charter/headboat permit and also has a commercial king
mackerel permit for coastal migratory pelagic fish may
continue to retain king mackerel in or from the closed
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 subzone may be purchased, bartered, traded, or
sold. This includes recreational and tournament-caught
fish. The prohibition of sale, however, 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.
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