Gulf Amendment 63: Red Grouper Commercial Quota Pool Under the Grouper/Tilefish Individual Fishing Quota Program

The Council developed Amendment 63 in anticipation of the substantial Gulf of America (Gulf) red grouper quota increase they approved through Amendment 62 to the Reef Fish FMP. Amendment 63 would establish a pilot program for setting aside a portion of the increase in red grouper commercial quota for a quota pool. This three-year pilot program is intended to run from 2027 to 2029, using the substantial increase in red grouper quota as an opportunity to test a new method to improve access to red grouper allocation for some participants in the Grouper-Tilefish IFQ program and reduce bycatch and discards of IFQ species. The Council approved Amendment 63 for NMFS review and implementation at their June 2026 meeting.