WHAT/WHEN:
- Commercial gillnet harvest of king mackerel in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico Southern Zone closed at 12 p.m., (local time) on February 8, 2019.
- Commercial gillnet harvest will reopen at 6:00 a.m., (local time) on January 21, 2020.
WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING:
- The 2018/2019 commercial gillnet quota is 585,900 pounds. Updated landings data indicate that commercial gillnet harvest of king mackerel has reached the quota.
- As a result, commercial gillnet harvest closed in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico Southern Zone on February 8, 2019.
- The Gulf of Mexico Southern Zone includes federal waters off Collier and Monroe Counties, Florida.
- The operator of a vessel that has been issued a federal commercial king mackerel permit with a gillnet endorsement and who is landing king mackerel for sale must have harvested, landed ashore, and sold before 12 p.m., (local time), February 8, 2019.
- In accordance with the regulations, NOAA Fisheries is required to close a fishery when the quota has been met. This closure is needed to prevent overfishing (too many fish being harvested).
DURING THE CLOSURE:
- No person aboard a vessel with a commercial king mackerel permit with a gillnet endorsement may fish for king mackerel using a run-around gillnet in the closed zone after 12 p.m., (local time) on February 8, 2019.
- No person aboard a vessel possessing a gillnet with a stretched-mesh size of 4.75 inches (12.1 cm) or larger, may fish for or possess king mackerel in this zone during the closure.
- Sale or purchase of gillnet harvested king mackerel in or from federal waters in the Southern Zone is prohibited.
- The hook-and-line component of the fishery remains open in this zone at this time. Therefore, only king mackerel caught by hook-and-line in this zone may be purchased, bartered, traded, or sold after 12:01 p.m., (local time) on February 8, 2019.
- The prohibition on sale or purchase does not apply to trade in king mackerel that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold before 12 p.m., (local time), February 8, 2019, and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.
- A vessel for which a king mackerel gillnet endorsement has been issued may not retain for sale king mackerel in or from federal waters harvested with any other gear.
- Persons aboard commercial vessels with a federal king mackerel permit may fish for and retain the recreational bag and possession limit of king mackerel during the open recreational season, even if commercial fishing for this species is closed in this zone or others.