***Rule changes for WCC***

We're all aware of the many challenges we've been facing recently in the fishery management process with respect to grouper, amberjack, and red snapper. NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries Service) published a final rule implementing the approved regulatory actions to end overfishing and rebuild greater amberjack and gray triggerfish in the Gulf of Mexico. The rules became effective August 4, 2008.

The new rules are the following:

Greater amberjack; recreational size limit has been increased to 30 inches fork length.

Grey triggerfish; recreational and commercial size limit has been increased to 14 inches fork length.

Aside from the size limit changes the red snapper fishery has ended early in the Gulf for the recreational sector effective August 4th, 2008. The recreational fishery for red snapper is officially closed in Federal waters (outside of 9 miles in the Gulf). In Federal waters the fishery will reopen to the recreational sector in June of 2009.

To avoid any possible issues offshore and at the ramp it has been decided to eliminate red snapper from this last WCC tournament.

These new rules will be effective in the last WCC meet sponsored by SPUC on September 13, 2008 held at the Ft. DeSoto ramp in St. Pete.

If there are any questions please feel free to contact me at (407) 375-9283.

Thank you,

Bryan Anderson