WHAT/WHEN/WHERE:
- Commercial harvest of king mackerel in federal waters of the Western Zone will close at 12:00 pm, central time, on November 21, 2019.
- Commercial harvest will reopen at 12:01 am, central time, on July 1, 2020.
WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING:
- The 2019/2020 commercial Western Zone quota is 1,096,000 pounds. Updated landings data indicate that the harvest of king mackerel in this zone will reach the quota by November 21, 2019.
- In accordance with regulations, NOAA Fisheries is required to close a fishery when the quota has been met. This closure is needed to prevent overfishing of this species. Overfishing is when the annual catch rate is too high.
DURING THE CLOSURE:
- A person on board a vessel that has been issued a valid federal commercial or charter vessel/headboat permit for coastal migratory pelagic fish may continue to retain the 3-fish per person daily king mackerel recreational bag limit, as long as the recreational sector for Gulf king mackerel is open.
- Sale or purchase of any harvested king mackerel in or from federal waters in the Western Zone is prohibited.
- The prohibition on sale or purchase does not apply to trade in king mackerel that were harvested, landed ashore, and sold before 12:00 pm, central time, November 21, 2019, and were held in cold storage by a dealer or processor.
SIGN UP FOR TEXT MESSAGE ALERTS
NOAA's Text Message Alert Program allows you to receive important fishery related alerts via text message (SMS). Standard message & data rates may apply. You may opt-out at any time.
Text alerts you may receive include:
- Fishery openings and closures
- Any significant changes to fishing regulations that happen quickly
Sign up for one or more of the following groups:
- Gulf of Mexico Recreational Fisheries Related Alerts
- Text GULFRECFISH to 888777
- Gulf of Mexico Commercial Fisheries Related Alerts
- Text GULFCOMMFISH to 888777
- South Atlantic Recreational Fisheries Related Alerts
- Text SATLRECFISH to 888777
- South Atlantic Commercial Fisheries Related Alerts
- Text SATLCOMMFISH to 888777
- Caribbean Fisheries Related Alerts
- Text CARIBFISH to 888777
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Other contacts:
Media: Kim Amendola, 727-551-5707
Allison Garrett, 727-551-5750
