KEY WEST, Fla. - Key West marine officials are campaigning against the possible invasion of a venomous marine fish popular with fish collectors. ...more

March 2, 2009

Although many reef anglers say they are catching more small gag grouper than at any time in the past 20 years, state and federal fishery managers have confirmed a plan to reduce the bag limit on the popular reef species to one per person per day as part of an aggregate bag of five groupers of all species. Formerly, Gulf anglers could take up to five gags daily. ...more

December 21, 2008

There is a lot of confusion floating around the docks on the new reef fish rules that went into effect on June 1. Basically, the rule states that circle hooks must be used for all reef species (i.e., groupers and snappers) wherever they are caught, and that all anglers fishing for reef fish must carry and use dehooking devices and venting tools in state and federal waters. ...more

July 6, 2008

As of today, anglers fishing for grouper, snapper and other reef species in the Gulf of Mexico are required to follow a new set of rules regarding how they fish, and how they release the fish they catch. The rules, put in place by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, are aimed at improving survival of released fish. ...more

June 1, 2008

The recent outbreak of ciguatera, or fish poisoning, reportedly caused by fish caught near Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary off Galveston, Texas, last November, is a reminder that the healthiest foods can have risks. ...more

February 20, 2008

The sleeping giant is again awakening. This time, it is reef anglers rising up to challenge government regulators who are making rules that fishermen say are unnecessary and based on false premises. ...more

February 10, 2008

So much for public input. Despite testimony from dozens of offshore skippers who, without exception, reported gag grouper numbers at very high levels, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council last week voted to tighten harvest regulations on the popular reef species. Grouper harvest would be shut down from Jan. 15 to April 15, and the bag limit dropped from five fish to one if the rule gets final approval this spring. The overall grouper bag limit would drop to three fish of all species. ...more

February 3, 2008

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will hold a meeting next week in St. Petersburg, and one of the items on the agenda is review of possible cuts in the gag grouper catch for both commercial and recreational fishermen. ...more

January 20, 2008

Anglers fishing federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico, more than nine nautical miles from shore, will face new gear requirements when seeking reef fish starting this spring. ...more

January 15, 2008

The aptly named mangrove snapper spends a fair amount of its juvenile life among the watery roots of its namesake trees. But when it reaches adulthood, it heads for deeper venues, and one of the best in the state is the edge of the shipping channels that run through Tampa Bay. ...more

September 28, 2007