2019 and 2020 Preliminary Gulf of Mexico Commercial Landings
The Southeast Fisheries Science Center has provided the following preliminary landings estimates for species in the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s area of jurisdiction subject to annual catch limits (ACLs).
This page was last updated: 7/14/2020
- FISHING REGS & SEASONAL CLOSURES: For a list of fishing regs, by species, please visit the Gulf of Mexico Fishing Regulations and Seasonal Closures
- FEDERAL REGULATIONS: For the most current federal fishing regulations, visit Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 622 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic
- OTHER LANDINGS:
- HISTORICAL: Historic Commercial Landings in the Gulf of Mexico
- See the Southeast Region Annual Catch Limit Monitoring page for other fish landings information.
- FISHERY BULLETINS: Sign up to stay up-to-date with fishery announcements
- For more information on fishery management please visit the Gulf of Mexico Branch Homepage
- For Information about dealer reporting please see the bottom of this page.
2020 Preliminary Commercial Landings
Date Landings Available Through: 7/13/2020
| Species Complex | Fishing Year | Fixed Closed Months | Estimated Landings (lb)* | ACT(lb)*(a) | ACT% | ACL(lb)*(b) | ACL(%) | Current Status |
| Cobia - East Coast Florida Zone | 01/01/20– 12/31/20 | n/a | 12,215 | n/a | n/a | 70,000 | 17.5 | OPEN |
| Gray Triggerfish | June 1- July 31 | 34,155 | 60,900 | 56.1 | 64,100 | 53.3 | Seasonal Closure | |
| Greater Amberjack | March 1 - May 31 | 212,975 | 421,411 | 50.5 | 484,380 | 44.0 | OPEN |
Shallow Water Grouper, Red Grouper, Gag Grouper, Deep Water Grouper, Red Snapper, and Tilefishes are managed under the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish IFQ Program. Current Gulf IFQ landings can be found at the IFQ Homepage. For questions contact IFQ Support.
2020-2021 Preliminary Commercial King Mackerel Landings
2020-2021 Landings Available Through: 6/30/2020
| Species Complex | Fishing Year | Fixed Closed Months | Est. Landings (lb)* | Quota (lb)* | Quota % | ACL(lb) | ACL % | Current Status |
| King Mackerel - Western Zone | 7/1/2020 - 6/30/2021 | 1,096,000 | 0.0 | 2,164,600 | OPEN | |||
| King Mackerel - Northern zone | 10/1/2020 - 9/30/2021 | 493,200 | 0.0 | Still in 2019/2020 Fishing Year | ||||
| King Mackerel - Southern zone (Hook and Line) | 7/1/2020 - 6/30/2021 | 575,400 | 0.0 | OPEN | ||||
| King Mackerel - Southern zone (Gillnet) | 1/19/2021(c) - 6/30/2021 | July 1 - (c) | 575,400 | 0.0 | 575,400 | Seasonal Closure |
Definitions: Annual Catch Limit (ACL) is the amount of fish that can be harvested from the stock each year. The Annual Catch Target (ACT) is a harvest level set lower than the ACL to create a buffer to reduce the risk of overharvest.
*Units: Whole Weight (ww) Gray triggerfish and Greater Amberjack. As Reported: Cobia and King Mackerel.
(a) For gray triggerfish and greater amberjack, when the a ACT is projected to be met, harvest is closed.
(b) Gray triggerfish and greater amberjack had an overage of the ACL in 2018; therefore, the ACT and ACL are reduced in 2019 by the amount of the overage.
(c) Actual opening date is the Tuesday after MLK Day.
2019-2020 Preliminary Commercial King Mackerel Landings
Commercial Gillnet Landings Available Through: 7/13/2020; Other Landings Available Through: 7/13/2020
| Species Complex | Fishing Year | Fixed Closed Months | Est. Landings (lb)* | Quota (lb)* | Quota % | ACL(lb) | ACL % | Current Status |
| King Mackerel - Western Zone | 7/1/2019 - 6/30/2020 | 1,188,297 | 1,096,000 | 108.4 | 2,164,600 | 97.6 | Closed 11/21/2019 FB19-073 | |
| King Mackerel - Northern zone | 10/1/2019 - 9/30/2020 | 310,252 | 493,200 | 62.9 | OPEN | |||
| King Mackerel - Southern zone (Hook and Line) | 7/1/2019 - 6/30/2020 | 613,903 | 575,400 | 106.7 | CLOSED 3/4/2020 FB20-017 | |||
| King Mackerel - Southern zone (Gillnet) | 1/21/2020(c) - 6/30/2020 | July 1 - (c) | 521,318 | 530,043 | 98.4 | 530,043 | 98.4 | Closed 2/25/2020 FB20-014 |
2019 Preliminary Commercial Landings
Date Landings Available Through: 12/31/2019
| Species Complex | Fishing Year | Fixed Closed Months | Estimated Landings (lb)* | ACT(lb)*(a) | ACT% | ACL(lb)*(b) | ACL(%) | Current Status |
| Cobia - East Coast Florida Zone | 01/01/19 – 12/31/19 | n/a | 32,326 | n/a | n/a | 70,000 | 46.2 | CLOSED |
| Gray Triggerfish | June 1- July 31 | 62,203 | 60,298 | 103.2 | 63,498 | 98.0 | Closed 11/26/2019 FB19-074 | |
| Greater Amberjack | March 1 - May 31 | 356,773 | 337,503 | 105.7 | 389,767 | 91.5 | 6/9/19 CLOSED FB19-025 |
Shallow Water Grouper, Red Grouper, Gag Grouper, Deep Water Grouper, Red Snapper, and Tilefishes are managed under the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish IFQ Program. Current Gulf IFQ landings can be found at the IFQ Homepage. For questions contact IFQ Support.
2018-2019 Preliminary Commercial King Mackerel Landings
Date Landings Available Through: 12/31/19
| Species Complex | Fishing Year | Fixed Closed Months | Est. Landings (lb)* | Quota (lb)* | Quota % | ACL(lb) | ACL % | Current Status |
| King Mackerel - Western Zone | 7/1/2018 - 6/30/2019 | 1,090,596 | 1,116,000 | 97.7 | 2,204,100 | 98.7 | CLOSED 10/5/2018 FB18-064 | |
| King Mackerel - Northern zone | 10/1/2018 - 9/30/2019 | 397,926 | 502,200 | 79.2 | CLOSED | |||
| King Mackerel - Southern zone (Hook and Line) | 7/1/2018 - 6/30/2019 | 687,587 | 585,900 | 117.4 | CLOSED 2/22/19 FB19-009 | |||
| King Mackerel - Southern zone (Gillnet) | 1/22/2019(c) - 6/30/2019 | July 1 - (c) | 604,700 | 585,900 | 103.2 | 585,900 | 103.2 | CLOSED 2/8/2019 FB19-006 |
More Information
- FISHING REGS & SEASONAL CLOSURES: For a list of fishing regs, by species, please visit the Gulf of Mexico Fishing Regulations and Seasonal Closures
- FEDERAL REGULATIONS: For the most current federal fishing regulations, please visit Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 622 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic
- HISTORICAL: Historic Commercial Landings in the Gulf of Mexico
- OTHER LANDINGS: See the Southeast Region Annual Catch Limit Monitoring page for other fish landings information.
- FISHERY BULLETINS: Sign up to stay up-to-date with fishery announcements
- For more information on fishery management please visit the Gulf of Mexico Branch Homepage
Dealer Reporting Information
- Dealers in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic are required to have a federal Gulf and South Atlantic dealer permit and submit weekly, electronic reports. Reports must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. local time, every Tuesday. If no purchases are made, a no-purchase form must also be submitted online, once per week. Dealers may not purchase fish if they have not submitted timely reports and will not be able to renew their permits if reports are outstanding. Dealers can apply for a permit with the Southeast Region Permit Office.
- Dealers reporting purchases of king mackerel landed by the gillnet sector for the Gulf Southern Zone will be required to submit forms the day after landings by 10:00 a.m., local time.
- Please see the Modifications to the Current Federally Permitted Seafood Dealer Reporting Requirements in the Southeast Region for additional information.
- See the Southeast Region Annual Catch Limit Monitoring page for other fish landings information.
