NOAA is asking the public to weigh in on a new proposal that could change how Gulf red grouper is managed in the coming years. In a bulletin published on April 2, the agency said Amendment 62 would revise catch limits, update sector allocations, and remove the recreational February to March shallow-water grouper closure in federal waters seaward of the 20-fathom boundary.
The proposal matters because red grouper is an important species for both commercial and recreational fishing in the Gulf. NOAA says the changes are based on recommendations from the Gulf Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee and are intended to promote optimum yield while allowing more access under updated management measures.
Amendment 62 would raise and reset red grouper catch limits
One of the biggest parts of the proposal is a new framework for catch limits. NOAA says Amendment 62 would revise the status determination criteria for red grouper and set a new overfishing limit and acceptable biological catch. The agency also says the total annual catch limit would be set at 80% of the acceptable biological catch in 2026, 90% in 2027, and equal to the acceptable biological catch in 2028 and later years.
For 2026, NOAA lists an overfishing limit of 10.63 million pounds gutted weight, an acceptable biological catch of 8.28 million pounds, and a total annual catch limit of 6.62 million pounds. The 2026 recreational annual catch target would be 1.92 million pounds, while the commercial quota would be 4.28 million pounds. The full NOAA bulletin is here NOAA Fisheries bulletin.
Sector allocations would change under the new proposal
NOAA also says Amendment 62 would modify sector annual catch limits, the commercial quota, and the recreational annual catch target. The agency says it would keep using the same 1986 to 2005 reference period that was used to set current allocations, but it would replace private recreational vessel harvest estimates from the Marine Recreational Information Program Fishing Effort Survey with estimates generated by the Florida State Reef Fish Survey.
As a result, the recreational sector would be allocated 31.8% of the total annual catch limit, while the commercial sector would receive 68.2%. NOAA says the recreational annual catch target would continue to be reduced by 9% from the recreational annual catch limit, and the commercial quota would remain 5% below the commercial annual catch limit to account for the established red grouper multi-use provision. More background on the action is available here NOAA Amendment 62 action page.
Closure changes could expand recreational access
The proposal would also remove the February 1 through March 31 recreational seasonal closure for shallow-water grouper species in federal waters seaward of the 20-fathom boundary. NOAA says that change is expected to allow greater access to the red grouper resource for recreational fishermen.
The bulletin explains that shallow-water grouper includes six species: red grouper, gag, scamp, yellowmouth grouper, black grouper, and yellowfin grouper. NOAA says red grouper and gag are managed as individual species, while the other four are managed together under the Other Shallow-Water Grouper complex.
Public comments are open through June 1
NOAA says the comment period for the notice of availability is open through June 1, 2026. The agency also says the proposed rule comment period is expected to fall within the same timeframe, and that comments on both the amendment and the proposed rule will be considered when deciding whether to approve the amendment and finalize the rulemaking.
Electronic comments must be submitted through the federal rulemaking portal, and written comments may also be mailed to NOAA’s Southeast Regional Office. For broader fisheries coverage in English, readers can also see Agroinformacion. The official bulletin was published by NOAA Fisheries in its Gulf of America Fishery Bulletin on April 2, 2026.