A seasonal prohibition on fishing for or possession of red, black, tiger, yellowfin, or yellowedge grouper (Grouper Unit 4) in Caribbean federal waters will be in effect from 12:01 a.m., local time, February 1 through April 30, 2007 . Caribbean federal waters are those waters extending to 200 nautical miles offshore from the nine-mile seaward boundary of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the three-mile seaward boundary of the territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands. This prohibition on possession does not apply to grouper that are harvested and landed ashore prior to the closure.
Also, from February 1 through April 30 each year no person may fish for or possess any species of fish, except highly migratory species, within the Grammanik Bank closed area. An annual spawning aggregation of yellowfin grouper has been documented at Grammanik Bank, south of St. Thomas , occurring from about February through April each year. This closure is designed to address overfishing and protect the yellowfin grouper spawning aggregation. The term “fish” includes finfish, mollusks, crustaceans, and all other forms of marine animal and plant life other than marine mammals and birds. Highly migratory species refers to bluefin, bigeye, yellowfin, albacore, and skipjack tunas; swordfish; sharks; white marlin, blue marlin, sailfish, and longbill spearfish.
For more information, read the fishery bulletin.
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