


Commercial and recreational seasonal closures and current status of federally managed Gulf of Mexico species. Species not listed do not currently have seasonal closures or quotas.
NOAA Sustainable Fisheries Division Gulf of Mexico Branch, together with the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, manages fisheries in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Federal waters begin where state waters end and extend 200 miles into the Gulf of Mexico.
This summary is intended to provide appropriate information to fishermen about fishing regulations in the Gulf of Mexico. This summary is for general information purposes. Fishery Regulations are subject to changes. Any discrepancies between this information and the regulations as published in the Federal Register will be resolved in favor of the Federal Register. For more information on fishery regulations consult the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 50 CFR 622.
NOTE: Fishing for certain species may be closed outside of the seasonal closure if an inseason closure has occurred. Please check our fishery bulletin page.
NOTE: States may regulate vessels registered in that state and fishing in federal waters for species that do not have applicable federal regulations, or for which management has been delegated to the state.
NOTE: Federally permitted for-hire reef fish vessels must comply with the more restrictive of federal or state reef fish regulations when fishing for reef fish in state waters.
Fishing Regulations(5) |
Commercial
|
Recreational
|
---|---|---|
None |
None |
|
Cobia - East Coast Florida Zone |
None |
None |
Cubera Snapper |
None |
None |
Deep water grouper - Warsaw, Snowy, Speckled hind, Yellowedge |
None Currently managed under an Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) program. Anyone commercially fishing for this species must possess IFQ allocation and follow established protocols, see Current IFQ landings. |
None |
None Currently managed under an Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) program. Anyone commercially fishing for this species must possess IFQ allocation and follow established protocols, see Current IFQ landings. |
|
|
Gray Snapper |
None |
None |
|
An emergency rule, effective July 25, 2022, modified the recreational fixed closed season to be August 1 – 31, 2022 and November 1, 2022 through July 31, 2023. At the end of the emergency rule time period (max of 366 days), or implementation of Reef Fish Amendment 54, whichever comes first, the recreational fixed closed season will revert back to November 1 through April 30 and June 1 through July 31. |
|
HARVEST PROHIBITED | ||
|
|
|
Hogfish |
None |
None |
Jacks Complex - Almaco jack, banded rudderfish, lesser amberjack |
None |
None |
Western Zone
Northern Zone
Southern Zone Gillnet
Southern Zone Hook & Line
|
None | |
Lane Snapper |
None |
None |
Mid-water snapper - Silk, wenchman, blackfin, queen snapper |
None |
None |
Mutton Snapper |
None |
None |
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HARVEST PROHIBITED | |
None Currently managed under an Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) program. Anyone commercially fishing for this species must possess IFQ allocation and follow established protocols, see Current IFQ landings. |
|
|
None Currently managed under an Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) program. Anyone commercially fishing for this species must possess IFQ allocation and follow established protocols, see Current IFQ landings. |
For-Hire
PrivateUnder state management through Reef Fish Amendment 50 see Fishery Bulletin FB20-006 |
|
Shallow-water grouper (other): Black Grouper, |
None Currently managed under an Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) program. Anyone commercially fishing for this species must possess IFQ allocation and follow established protocols, see Current IFQ landings. |
|
Spanish Mackerel |
None |
None |
Spiny Lobster | See State of Florida | See State of Florida |
Tilefish - golden, goldface, and blueline |
None Currently managed under an Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) program. Anyone commercially fishing for this species must possess IFQ allocation and follow established protocols, see Current IFQ landings. |
None |
Vermilion Snapper |
None |
None |
Yellowtail Snapper |
None |
None |
(1) This list will redirect to the Fish Rules app, web-based version.
(2) This closure occurs in the portion of the Gulf EEZ seaward of coordinates defined in the Federal regulations at paragraph (d) of § 622.34, Seasonal and area closures designed to protect Gulf reef fish. These coordinates approximate the 20-fathom depth contour.