Public_Comment_Display - Google Drive


2	Fishery Management Issue Under Consideration
3	Amendment 56 – Modifications to the Gag Grouper Catch Limits, Sector Allocations, Fishing Seasons, and other Rebuilding Plan Measures
4	Submit Date	Email	Name	City	State	Zip	Affiliation	Comment
5	8/25/2022	Test	Test					Test
6	8/25/2022	chadhickman@embarqmail.com	Chad Hickman				Charter/Headboat (Federal For-Hire)	I know you guys have a meeting in process now. But would like to comment on a few things. I am a full time federal permitted charter captain. Sharks: They have been getting increasingly worse every year with this year being no exception! Losing Tons of nice fish daily to sharks this is in my opinion is putting a big stress on our fishery. We have to catch are limit twice on some days due to lost fish and tackle to sharks…. Red Groupers: Man this closing really does us no good for our Buisness. Red groupers are not in trouble! Need to fine a way to get the data processed faster not 3 years behind.. Red Snapper: Would love to have a fall season sooner than later to help us sell some trips with losing RG. Tons of those so shouldn’t be a problem lol. Gags: Again gags seem to be rebounding and next year seems we will pay the price for old data!! Thanks, Captain Chad Hickman
7	10/5/2022	Sportsmanatk13@gmail.com	James eric atkinson	Lake city	Florida	32024	Private Recreational Angler	I find in my area Horseshoe and Steihatchee that spearfishing is the biggest problem . I may are may not get my limit and lose more than i hook but return to find all keeper fish gone when the divers move in and brag on the radio all the time about there boat limited on a dive. Hook and line should not pay for who causes the problem !
8	10/24/2022	cbruger@oceanconservancy.org	Ocean Conservancy	St. Petersburg	Florida	33701	Organization	https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-iTC4CBGFcTdtX_rNb7UIYKdBvXsH9YK/view?usp=sharing
9	10/24/2022	eric@shareholdersalliance.org	Sharehoders Alliance	Galveston	Texas	77550	Organization	https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b8BbyFGeenNMuo-206a2o_942sPH8-gg/view?usp=sharing
10	10/27/2022	dhubbard@hubbardsmarina.com	Dylan Hubbard	Madeira Beach	Florida	33708	Charter/Headboat (Federal For-Hire)	https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TFOpuTJMcbJKfGlJb-aJyUjJwFnDr_ZN/view?usp=sharing
11	1/30/2023	cbruger@oceanconservancy.org	Catherine Bruger	St. Petersburg	Florida	33701	NGO	https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M_wHOD4gAkcQi2u1LIeTO2DQ3JdZuxLR/view?usp=sharing
12	1/30/2023	eric@shareholdersalliance.org	Eric Brazer	Galveston	Texas	77550	NGO	https://drive.google.com/file/d/18g8Zykpi3YZaNVDbMGL-Db_ULiMbwATR/view?usp=sharing
13	2/1/2023	johnpeppe@icloud.com	John Peppe	Holiday	Florida		Private Recreational Angler	I am unable to attend this meeting but I would like to offer my feedback. I’ve fished for gags on the Florida west coast for decades. I support the proposal for an Oct 1 opening day since the weather in September is still hot, and requires a long offshore run to reach the gags. Releasing short gags in deep water can be detrimental to the survival of the fish. I’d prefer to see the season open in October, when the weather is cooler, and the gags are in shallower waters. This way, the short gags can be released without the detrimental effects of barotrauma. Less gas being used and less short gags dying from barotrauma. Sounds like a “win-win” proposal to me.
14	4/3/2023	eric@shareholdersalliance.org	Eric Brazer	Galveston	Texas		Gulf Shareholders Alliance	https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EbwHLcboj3r1_IoR1zoQ5IjTJAAKTi3l/view?usp=sharing
15	4/3/2023	cbruger@oceanconservancy.org	Catherine Bruger	St. Petersburg	Florida		Ocean Conservancy	https://drive.google.com/file/d/10PJU61Cb7sKZamW61TL_QWWsJd5Tvqik/view?usp=sharing
16	4/12/2023	kevinaleyjr@yahoo.com	Kevin Aley	Cape Coral	Florida	33993	Private Recreational Angler, Charter/Headboat (Federal For-Hire)	Closing Gag during the federal Red Snapper Season (June 1- closure) is going to have a negative economic effect on hundreds of offshore charter business as well as cause countless gag fatalities due to being caught in extreme depths (well over 175’) I personally fish in 220-290 that time of year. In the SW Florida region, we do not catch any number of gags in September or October and if we do they are caught in water shallower than 50 feet. Wouldn’t it make sense to release the Gags from shallow water as they have a better chance of survival as the fall gags have not experienced the severe depth change that the summer gags do? It would seem that the fish caught in 150 plus feet of water have a much lower chance of survival after release than the gags caught in 50ft or less.
17	5/3/2023	woodrocker2@aol.com	Kevin F Dinneen	Jacksonville	Florida	32259	Private Recreational Angler	As an angler who is passionate about conservation, I support the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council preferred alternatives on Gulf gag grouper. Specifically, I support Action 1 Alternative 2, Action 2 Alternative 3 Option 3b, Sub Action 3.1 Alternative 3, and Action 4 Alternative 3. I feel these options are the best path forward for Gulf gag grouper recovery and provide the fairest outcome for recreational fishermen. Don't let overfishing wipe out a species.
18	5/3/2023	Cpizam@hotmail.com	Cy Pizam	Jupiter	Florida	33469	Private Recreational Angler	As an angler who is passionate about conservation, I support the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council preferred alternatives on Gulf gag grouper. Specifically, I support Action 1 Alternative 2, Action 2 Alternative 3 Option 3b, Sub Action 3.1 Alternative 3, and Action 4 Alternative 3. I feel these options are the best path forward for Gulf gag grouper recovery and provide the fairest outcome for recreational fishermen.
19	5/3/2023	mkcr367@yahoo.com	Michael Davenport	Hondo	Texas	78861	Private Recreational Angler	As an angler who is passionate about conservation, I support the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council preferred alternatives on Gulf gag grouper. Specifically, I support Action 1 Alternative 2, Action 2 Alternative 3 Option 3b, Sub Action 3.1 Alternative 3, and Action 4 Alternative 3. I feel these options are the best path forward for Gulf gag grouper recovery and provide the fairest outcome for recreational fishermen.
20	5/3/2023	JONLANDERS17@GMAIL.COM	Jonathan Landers	Tampa	Florida	33606	Private Recreational Angler, Conservation volunteer (Tampa Bay Watch)	As an angler who is passionate about conservation, I support the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council preferred alternatives on Gulf gag grouper. Specifically, I support Action 1 Alternative 2, Action 2 Alternative 3 Option 3b, Sub Action 3.1 and Alternative 3. I feel these options are the best path forward for Gulf gag grouper recovery and provide the fairest outcome for recreational fishermen.
21	5/3/2023	maze@ufl.edu	John Maze	Gainesville	Florida	32605	Private Recreational Angler	Sub Action 3.1 Alternative 3 sounds good to me, followed by Action 4.0 Alt. 3; I care about building back the stock, and feel that all species are currently over harvested - but not just recreationally... commercially as well.
22	5/3/2023	Blunk4@gmail.com	Lawrence Blunk	Windermere	Florida	34786	Private Recreational Angler	Please ensure we leave our reefs and Florida’s beauty for future generations to enjoy the paradise we’ve been granted!
23	5/3/2023	capteddie5639@bpbeach.com	Charles E. Wightman Sr.	Islamorada	Florida	33036	Private Recreational Angler	One glaring item that I never see addressed in these fisheries management discussions/plans is the continued rapid growth of the human populations in Florida, the USA and the world in general. Size and bag limits are important, however when the populations increase X percent annually and these factors are not factored into the management plan, the plan fails by X percent in it's management objectives. More people equates to more fishers harvesting the fish stocks regardless of size and bag limits. It's a simple matter of numbers. THIS ITEM MUST BE ADDRESSED IN ALL FUTURE MANAGEMENT PLANS
24	5/3/2023	sklott58@gmail.com	Stephen E Klott	Largo	Florida	33771	Private Recreational Angler	As an angler who is passionate about conservation, I support the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council preferred alternatives on Gulf gag grouper. Specifically, I support Action 1 Alternative 2, Action 2 Alternative 3 Option 3b, Sub Action 3.1 Alternative 3, and Action 4 Alternative 3. I feel these options are the best path forward for Gulf gag grouper recovery and provide the fairest outcome for recreational fishermen.
25	5/3/2023	dougolander@gmail.com	doug olander	Orlando	Florida	32819	journalist	I support the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council preferred alternatives on Gulf gag grouper. Specifically, I support Action 1 Alternative 2, Action 2 Alternative 3 Option 3b, Sub Action 3.1 Alternative 3, and Action 4 Alternative 3.
26	5/3/2023						Private Recreational Angler	Restrictions on recreational fishermen are bogus there is no way or proof recreational fishing has more impact than commercial fishing prove me wrong
27	5/4/2023	steve@prefmtg.net	Steve Moriconi	Naples	Florida	34117	Private Recreational Angler	I am a 61 year old native Floridian and have been fishing and diving SW Florida all my life. I was offshore spearfishing in April 2023 and had seen more large gag grouper than I have EVER seen in my entire life. I have done more than 10,000 dives in the Gulf of Mexico and actually see what the status of our fisheries are. I don't know what kind of "scientific information" is being used to determine the status of fish stocks but it is wrong. I could not believe how many 30" plus gag grouper I was seeing, it was in excess of 100 in just four shallow dives (50' to 60'). The more I thought about it I began to realize the reasons for the incredible population explosion. Hurricane Ian had eliminated a large number of boats from use both private and commercial. More importantly, it eliminated numerous shrimp boats which protects the bycatch or food source for all fish. Additionally, numerous boat ramps have been closed for months, Punta Rassa at the base of the Sanibel Causeway, Carl Johnson's Park just south of Estero Island and others. The waterfront residents had damage to their boat lifts which took an extended amount of time to repair. Many of my friends who fish and dive are in the construction trades and have been working nonstop to rebuild their personal residences and have worked their businesses so hard they have not taken time off work to go offshore and fish. I would question that accuracy of data that says our gag population is under pressure. I can't speak knowledgeably about the rest of the State but I know first hand SW Florida's fish population and specifically gag grouper population has never been better. Instead of reducing the number of fish a private recreational fisherman can take why not increase the size limits on fish? The best thing that ever happen to gag grouper regulation was moving the size limit from 20" to 22" to 24". Hogfish moving from 12" to 14" was another significant improvement. Amberjack have been increased as well as Cobia. We need to increase the size limits on grey snapper from 12" to 16" and red grouper from 20" to 24". If you feel you need to reduce the catch for gag grouper just increase the size limit to 28" or even 30". Two 30" gag grouper and a few 16" grey snapper would be a good day. Final thought, what ever the size limits end up being on each fish must be across the board for all fishermen both recreational and commercial. The reason I took the time to write this statement is because your scientists do not see live fish in their natural environment as often or as long as I have been seeing them. I recently purchased a GoPro because of my day out this past month. The gags are absolutely beautiful fish and I enjoyed seeing them so much I wanted to film it for the days I can't go fishing.
28	5/4/2023	firstflorida@outlook.com	Rich Davis	St Petersburg	Florida	33710		It is hard to believe your recreational numbers are accurate. As a diver I am aware of the gag numbers in waters 80 feet or less. A tag system for recreation fishermen would allow the fishermen to fish during the year, tag each fish and, it would get better account for the number caught. Simply sign up through your license and order the tag numbers. When you over restrict one species the pressure is placed on other species. Also I believe the money collected for licensing should be used to breed and restock supplies like they do in the Great Lakes. Off shore breeding barges. Put a few million juvenile gags in the water every year and the fishing will be better and the stock will be healthier. The Florida economy is reliant on the ability to fish. We need to think of other ways to make it sustainable. I believe we need to work on the supply side.
29	5/4/2023	linda@brospump.com	Linda Merson	Plantation	Florida	33317	Private Recreational Angler	As an angler who is passionate about conservation, I support the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council preferred alternatives on Gulf gag grouper. Specifically, I support Action 1 Alternative 2, Action 2 Alternative 3 Option 3b, Sub Action 3.1 Alternative 3, and Action 4 Alternative 3. I feel these options are the best path forward for Gulf gag grouper recovery and provide the fairest outcome for recreational fishermen.
30	5/4/2023	alangenmayr@msn.com	Adam langenmayr	Yankeetown	Florida	34498	Private Recreational Angler	As an angler who is passionate about conservation, I support the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council preferred alternatives on Gulf gag grouper. Specifically, I support Action 1 Alternative 2, Action 2 Alternative 3 Option 3b, Sub Action 3.1 Alternative 3, and Action 4 Alternative 3. I feel these options are the best path forward for Gulf gag grouper recovery and provide the fairest outcome for recreational fishermen.
31	5/4/2023	dwaynetaylor62@yahoo.com	Dwayne Taylor	Chipley	Florida	32428	Private Recreational Angler	I feel option action 4 alternative 3 is best. I fish the gulf out Mexico Beach Fl. out to 60 miles off shore and feel the Gag catch has been very good the last two years Thanks
32	5/4/2023	mstutevoss@gmail.com	Michael Stutevoss	Tampa	Florida	33611	Private Recreational Angler	Recreational anglers shouldn’t be punished for the overfishing of commercial anglers. I may have the opportunity to fish for gags once this season with the Sep - Oct gag season, and with that being peak hurricane season the management has made it virtually impossible to harvest these fish for recreational anglers. Restrict the charter boats and commercial fisherman not the weekend fisherman. Gags should be open with the American Red Snapper.
33	5/4/2023	Kovrowat@gmail.com	Kyle R.	New Port Richey	Florida	34652	Private Recreational Angler	Why don’t you guys prohibit Gag Grouper harvest Commercially for 1 or more years? That is where the over fishing happens anyway. The problem is you will undoubtedly impact only the Residential/recreational gag grouper harvest while allowing Commercial to continue to pull all the numbers. For the last 5+ years. You’ve changed and limited Recreational bag and length limits and the numbers continue to drop. (At least you claim) during the Goliath grouper workshop. I asked what your projected population estimates for Goliath grouper were, and you said “you have no data on that” so will you continue to not tag and monitor the population of Gag grouper after you limit residential fishing and keep it restricted, while allowing the commercial industry to go right back to there original harst limits much sooner.
34	5/4/2023	Tomrowat@aol.com	Thomas Bryce Rowat,Jr	New Port Richey	Florida	34655	Private Recreational Angler	First of all I’d like to suggest you resume the harvest of all large predatory species (Sandbar sharks, Bull sharks and Jewfish etc), that I SEE every time I go grouper fishing that are EATING the released undersized Gag grouper on the way back to the bottom including the ones that get eaten on the way to the boat. I think “PROTECTING” 1 Species of fish is ridiculous and absurd. You preserve the one species while the rest are demolished. Insane. The new Jewfish “HARVEST LIMIT” is a joke. The only people that would even consider that are the commercial charter boat captains……OHH Now I see. Commercial gets its way again. What was I thinking. Protect them ALL or protect none. Let God sort them out. Get your act together and do this right. The world is watching
35	5/7/2023	Irishorange34@yahoo.com	Paul mcgee	Pace	Florida	32571	Private Recreational Angler	As an angler who is passionate about conservation, I support the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council preferred alternatives on Gulf gag grouper. Specifically, I support Action 1 Alternative 2, Action 2 Alternative 3 Option 3b, Sub Action 3.1 Alternative 3, and Action 4 Alternative 3. I feel these options are the best path forward for Gulf gag grouper recovery and provide the fairest outcome for recreational fishermen.
36	5/8/2023	wakullaangler@comcast.net	Robert Houghton	St. Marks	Florida		Private Recreational Angler	I have been fishing out of St. Marks Florida for 35 years. I am sure the new gag grouper regulations are not based in science. The last four years of inshore grouper fishing has been the best I can remember. The gag grouper population in the big bend is very strong. The new grouper fishing regulations are too restrictive, the season should be open thru the end of the year. The economic impact of not opening the fishing till September and closing the fishing the first weeks of November will be devastating through the state. Please re-think about this choice. If the gag grouper are in danger we should cease selling them commercially. The ridiculous season proposed speaks for it self. Recreational fisherman fuel the Florida costal economy and eventually our economic strength will be noticed. The least the council could do is allow Floridians to catch the grouper they deserve this fall. Thank you, R. Houghton
37	5/12/2023	randemacres@gmail.com	Michael Bradley	Hudson	Florida	34610	Private Recreational Angler	My biggest complaint is the Sept. thru Nov 10 window. I have a 22 ft boat and trying to go offshore in Sept and even Oct is not a good idea. Our shallow water fishing does not even start to get good until mid Nov so with these dates you have cut me out. At least make it Oct-Dec 10
38	5/15/2023	randemacres@gmail.com	Michael Bradley				Private Recreational Angler	As a recreational fisherman I will be cut out of gag fishing because all I have is a 22 ft boat and the shallow water grouper does not even get good until mid November. Who wants to fish Sept 1st when it is blazing hot, hurricanes and afternoon storms? Also I am seeing guides limiting grouper trips to half days so they can do 2 charters a day. Cut the limit to one per person and limit guides to one charter a day.
39	5/15/2023	rob@southwickassociates.com	Robert Southwick	Fernandina Beach	Florida	32034	Private Recreational Angler	Long-term, science-based decisions are best. Please support the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council preferred alternatives on Gulf gag grouper. Thank you!
40	5/15/2023	sjmbro@hotmail.com	Steve Mueller	PALM HARBOR	Florida	34684	Private Recreational Angler	Facts of science work. Protecting the species from commercial vessels as well as recreation anglers is crucial to recovery for the species.
41	5/15/2023	kamzel@epix.net	Ron Kamzelski	Cedar Key	Florida	3262	Private Recreational Angler	One of the obvious root causes in the decline in the Gag Grouper population is the absence of mature male Gag Groupers. The prosed alternatives do not define the causes or directly address how to increase the male population. The recreational and commercial ACL, ACT or quotas will be significantly reduced under Alternatives 2,3 & 4. Exactly how will this protect and increase the male population? Unless drastic actions are taken now Gag Groupers will go the way of codfish, bluefins, whales, etc.
42	5/16/2023	Abeqdoc@aol.com	Armon Blair	Williston	Florida	32696	Private Recreational Angler	I support the proposed new regulations as presented with the shortened season and reallocation. This is appropriate based on the increased number of anglers in the Gulf of Mexico. Recreational angling supports the coastal communities in the big bend where I live and fish. Since this is a public res that we are dealing with here it is right to manage it in this fashion. I also feel that requiring recreational anglers to report catches is appropriate in order to better manage the stock
43	5/17/2023				Florida	32625	Private Recreational Angler	According to the Council, gag grouper stocks are in such dire straits as to necessitate an 85% reduction in harvest for the recreational and commercial sectors. The small number (about 25% of the optimal count) of mature male fish able to participate in breeding has been identified as a major contributor to the problem. Given these two facts accepted by the council, it seems that measures that will immediately increase the number of male fish available for breeding should be an urgent goal. Reducing the harvest of 24–36-inch grouper will increase the number of breeder male fish over many years, but the scale of the problem today requires a faster solution to the shortage of male breeding stock. Stopping the harvest of breeder-stock male gag grouper should be immediately implemented. Not every large male grouper caught and released will survive, but 100% of breeding stock male grouper harvested will not survive and will not breed. Extraordinary threats to the gag grouper population require extraordinary solutions.
44	5/17/2023	GM@y-tc.com	William Webster	St Pete Beach	Florida	33706	Private Recreational Angler	By my direct observation, while SCUBA diving, over the last 3 months, the gag grouper population is very healthy, to the point of over population. In the past there were usually one or two dominate gag grouper on a structure like a ledge, Recently there are five or six, large gag grouper, and numerous smaller gag grouper per structure that I observed while diving. The environment will not continue to support that population of gag grouper as the available food resources become depleted due to over feeding of the gag population on the available food supply. There are more gag grouper per structure that 30years ago when I first started diving this area, then the dominate grouper population was red grouper. Fuel prices and weather have evidently decreased the fishing "effort" as you call it, or there was never a significant decrease in the and the gag grouper population. The gag grouper population is greater than I have ever observed. I have video I can share.
45	5/17/2023	Smiller284@yahoo.com	Steven Miller	New Port Richey	Florida	34652	Private Recreational Angler	Anglers and spearfishers want change if it’s good .. we support measures when it’s needed.. gag grouper is not in trouble and many fishermen and spearfishers are reporting the best gag grouper harvests in years We need to focus on AJ and kings which anglers and spearfishers have spoken in favor of rebuilding, not gags Seems like we are starting to manage this fishery via lawsuits, such as red grouper, on limited or old data Many decisions are being made on old data or data taken during times of red tide. Furthermore, when you close down one species another takes a hit, this is what I call mismanagement Every fish that we rely on in Florida waters to feed our families has recently been slashed. Many people are losing faith in the council process across all sectors. Fishermen are on the chopping block and when we see changes going against what we actually see out there it’s concerning and unfair. Ultimately we would like a re-assessment of the gag grouper population now and a reevaluation of the plan.
46	5/18/2023	sales@ablebusiness.com	Anthony W. Pastore	New Port Richey	Florida	34654	Private Recreational Angler	Anglers and spearfishers want change if it’s good .. we support measures when it’s needed.. gag grouper is not in trouble and many fishermen and spearfishers are reporting the best gag grouper harvests in years We need to focus on AJ and kings which anglers and spearfishers have spoken in favor of rebuilding, not gags Seems like we are starting to manage this fishery via lawsuits, such as red grouper, on limited or old data Many decisions are being made on old data or data taken during times of red tide. Furthermore, when you close down one species another takes a hit, this is what I call mismanagement Every fish that we rely on in Florida waters to feed our families has recently been slashed. Many people are losing faith in the council process across all sectors. Fishermen are on the chopping block and when we see changes going against what we actually see out there it’s concerning and unfair. Ultimately we would like a re assessment of the gag grouper population now and a reevaluation of the plan.
47	5/18/2023	kmorris@tubos.biz	Kevin Morris	Gulf Harbors	Florida	34652	Private Recreational Angler	Anglers and spearfishers want change if it’s good .. we support measures when it’s needed.. gag grouper is not in trouble and many fishermen and spearfishers are reporting the best gag grouper harvests in years We need to focus on AJ and kings which anglers and spearfishers have spoken in favor of rebuilding, not gags Seems like we are starting to manage this fishery via lawsuits, such as red grouper, on limited or old data Many decisions are being made on old data or data taken during times of red tide. Furthermore, when you close down one species another takes a hit, this is what I call mismanagement Every fish that we rely on in Florida waters to feed our families has recently been slashed. Many people are losing faith in the council process across all sectors. Fishermen are on the chopping block and when we see changes going against what we actually see out there it’s concerning and unfair. Ultimately we would like a re assessment of the gag grouper population now and a reevaluation of the plan.
48	5/18/2023	ccapinellas@gmail.com	Jim Suomi	Clearwater	Florida	33764	Private Recreational Angler	In Action 2, I support Alternative 3, Option 3b. Based on most recent data, this option provides the best management of the fish stock without creating undue pressure on other species. I also support Action 4, Preferred Alternative 3 in opening the season September 1. Additional items that should be considered: 1) Educating both recreational and commercial fisherman on proper release techniques to ensure highest survivability rates for undersize fish or fish caught outside of designated seasons. 2) Improve meeting preparedness by providing specific data that was used to create the management actions. There was a great deal of confusion in the May 17 meeting regarding the male/female gag population. If the population of male gag grouper is less than two percent and that is a cause for concern, there should be a specific target as to what that percentage should be in order to maintain a healthy population. Both recreational and commercial fisherman would be more supportive of the management actions and the Gulf Council itself if they understood how and why decisions are being made. Neither side wants to see our fisheries collapse. 3) Eliminate sector separation between recreational anglers and federally permitted for-hire boats. The for-hire boats are taking out recreational anglers and those anglers should abide by the same rules and regulations as recreational anglers on private boats. As an example, hunting guides throughout the country are not allowed to take game outside of designated seasons just because they are guides. Our fisheries are a public resource and should not be managed to benefit private businesses. I understand that this does not currently apply to gag grouper however trends are be pushed in that direction. 4) There were specific comments from the commercial fishermen present at the May 17 meeting that "you have taken away 80% of our fish". I do understand that there is a need for commercial fishing however again it should be remembered that our fisheries are a public resource and that while those commercial fishermen are providing fish to a significant segment of the population that would otherwise not have access to those fish, they are still making large amounts of money off a resource that does not belong to them.
49	5/18/2023	martycurrier@gmail.com	Martin Currier					Gags Everywhere!! Anglers and spearfishers want change if it’s good .. we support measures when it’s needed.. gag grouper is not in trouble and many fishermen and spearfishers are reporting the best gag grouper harvests in years We need to focus on AJ and kings which anglers and spearfishers have spoken in favor of rebuilding, not gags Seems like we are starting to manage this fishery via lawsuits, such as red grouper, on limited or old data Many decisions are being made on old data or data taken during times of red tide. Furthermore, when you close down one species another takes a hit, this is what I call mismanagement Every fish that we rely on in Florida waters to feed our families has recently been slashed. Many people are losing faith in the council process across all sectors. Fishermen are on the chopping block and when we see changes going against what we actually see out there it’s concerning and unfair. Ultimately we would like a re assessment of the gag grouper population now and a reevaluation of the plan.
50	5/18/2023	thomas.morris1949@gmail.com	Thomas Morris	Crystal Beach	Florida	34681	Private Recreational Angler	I am a certified Dive Master with over 2000 dives, most of which have been in the Gulf of Mexico. I have been a spearfisherman since 1984 and over the years I have seen the Gag population move from one area to another for reasons involving , change of water temperature, periods of torrential rain , red tide ,and for no other reason than following the bait masses. My concern is the data collection process that results in the manipulstion of your organization to assess open/close seasons, size limits,, or total elimination of Gag season that is currently being evaluated based on old 2019 data. There appears to be no statistical protocol for data collection, resulting in what appears to be a random gathering, hit or miss, collection of data. I strongly recommend that the system be revamped from scratch. We hear the excuse that it is the " Budget" ,or lack thereof, that limits the ability to put people in position to collect data. What has not been considered, or perhaps overlooked, by this organization is an army of volunteers of divers, recreational fishermen, commercial fisherman, retail sporting stores, bait shops who would commit to work towards a better understanding and protection of the Gag resource, What is missing in the equation to impliment such a volunteer organization, is a conceptual planning meeting of such a volunteer group organized by a GMFMC project manager overseeing the volunteers.. A
51	5/24/2023	mathew.delillo@gmail.com	Mathew DeLillo	Rotunda West	Florida	33947	Private Recreational Angler	I struggle with the 2% male estimate, this seems very low and intuitively concerning. Also concerning are the time estimates for recovery. My preference is to close it down completely and fix it faster. I feel a 20 year recovery is selfish and not in the best interest of future generations. I also think this fish will suffer from continued water quality issues (red tide). Also, as a general comment I think we are in a unique situation where our management actions cannot keep up with our fishery issues. It is time to rethink how we use this fishery and what the go-forward construct looks like. Commercial fishing may no longer be viable and recreational fishing may need to be curtailed significantly.
52	5/24/2023	Bshireling@gmail@com	Bob Shireling	Apollo Beach	Florida	33572	Private Recreational Angler	I am a 69 year old recreational angler and I don’t feel I am impacting the gag grouper fisheries. I fish for grouper once a month during the season and I don’t catch my limit most times and I didn’t expect too. I recommend reducing the limit for recreational anglers and not shortening the season. I also feel that the recreational angler has a much less impact to the fishing stock than the commercial sector.
53	5/30/2023	jay	Jay Morgan	Polk County	Florida	33823	Private Recreational Angler	Sure would be nice to bring the season back to June 1-Dec 31. Even if you have to temporarily reduce the limit to 1 per person. The opportunity for your typical recreational angler to just bring one home makes a big difference in angler satisfaction.
54	5/30/2023	Tampaoutdoorguy@gmail.com	Jeff Wenglarski	Wimauma	Florida	33598	Private Recreational Angler	With the cost of fuel and how few fish we can keep, you have relegated us to not making a trip offshore in the gulf a viable thing. You give the vast majority of our shared resources to Commercial interests while the people that spend the most money with regards to boats and gear are left with the scraps. For hire vessels can fish red snapper but we can't. They get to keep large amounts of grouper and we get nothing. Most commercial guys probably have regular jobs and fish to pad their income. NO FAIR.
55	5/31/2023	kenhaddad50@gmail.com	Ken Haddad				American Sportfishing Association	https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AIKDerJOsZZMLVElWRun6T4LxBRe4y3j/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=109391561704262291765&rtpof=true&sd=true
56	6/5/2023	cbruger@oceanconservancy.org	Catherine Bruger				Ocean Conservancy	https://drive.google.com/file/d/12T4MGNlPJTTgXjuod18OaRW7jfaH05Sh/view?usp=drive_link
57	6/5/2023	eric@shareholdersalliance.org	Eric Brazer				GOM Reef Fish Shareholders Alliance	https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-RyfePzLaxcu6VkWjRrdL3GwruZ-5BBE/view?usp=drive_link
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