Gag Grouper of the Gulf of Mexico
Restoring one of the Gulf’s Signature Reef Fish
From the Ocean Conservancy

Prized by restaurant-goers and recreational anglers alike, the gag grouper is one of the most popular fish of the Florida Gulf coast. Unfortunately, this popularity, mixed with its proclivity for sex changes and a generous dose of poor fishery management, has resulted in a significant threat to gag grouper from overfishing. Despite the challenges, however, it is not too late for us to reverse the trend. Implementing science-based management tools can restore the Gulf’s gag population to health and provide a boost to both our environment and our economy.

A (Very) Few Good Men

Gag grouper live in and among the rocks, reefs, and ledges of the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and occupy an important role in maintaining ecological balance, but their biology makes them particularly susceptible to overfishing. All gag grouper begin life as females. To reproduce, the largest females in a grouper community change sex and serve as functional males. Perhaps a third of all gags make this shift as they reach sexual maturity at seven to ten years of age. A lone, often aggressive, male then takes charge of a harem of females.

With better management we can end overfishing and restore gag grouper to levels that result in a healthier and more productive ecosystem.

Further compounding the situation, gag grouper spawn in a highly predictable fashion, gathering in great numbers at specific times and places each year. Fishermen naturally target these times and places as excellent fishing holes. And therein lies the problem. Not only are the large (usually male) fish prized for their trophy weight, but also, scientists say, their aggressive behavior makes them easier to catch. Today, in every 100 gag groupers, just 3 are males; down from an estimated 17 in the 1970s.

A Failure of Fishery Management

Scientists recently confirmed the fact that we are catching too many gag grouper. And the gag’s vulnerability to fishing pressure has posed challenges that Gulf fishery managers have not dealt with responsibly, allowing fishermen to catch far more gag grouper than scientists have said is sustainable. In 2002, for instance, scientists told Gulf fishery managers that the sustainable catch level for gag was 5 million pounds, yet managers failed to set science-based limits. As a result, annual landings of gag have since exceeded the recommended five million pound target by an average of almost 50%.

Solutions for Sustainability

Better fishery management, guided by science, can end overfishing, protect the vulnerable spawning aggregations, and restore gag grouper to levels that will result in a healthier, more productive ecosystem. As stewards of our natural resources, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council has the responsibility to use sound, science-based catch levels and other conservation measures to benefit ocean environments and the fishing communities they sustain. Fishery managers must end overfishing of gag grouper by making the following changes:

• Setting science-based catch limits for gag grouper immediately;

• Enforcing the scientifically based sustainable catch limits;

• Greatly reducing the bycatch of gag grouper;

• Protecting spawning aggregations and male gag grouper; and

• Providing economic incentives for fishermen to achieve conservation benefits.

You Can Help - Make Your Voice Heard

Gag grouper in the Gulf of Mexico (like all marine life) are a public resource and each of us has a say in decisions affecting the future of the species. You can make a difference today by telling decision makers it is time to end overfishing of gag grouper in the Gulf of Mexico. Get involved today by:

• Visiting Ocean Conservancy’s website and joining the Ocean Action Network at www.oceanconservancy.org

• Attending a public meeting of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council.

• Contacting Ocean Conservancy for more information on how to be part of the solution at. 1-877-OUR-GULF or bblome@oceanconservancy.org.