The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries issued a Declaration of Emergency to modify the Gag Grouper season.
The season for the recreational harvest of gag grouper in Louisiana state waters shall open at 12:01 a.m. on Sept. 1 and remain open until 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 14.
The regional administrator of NOAA Fisheries has informed the Secretary that the 2025 recreational season for the harvest of Gag Grouper in the federal waters of the Gulf of America has been modified to open on Sept. 1 and close on Sept. 15.
Compatible season regulations in state waters are often enacted to provide efficient enforcement for the fishery and to prevent overfishing of the species in the long term.
The most recent Gag Grouper population assessment indicated the stock is overfished and undergoing overfishing.
