Fishermen speak out against proposed gag grouper restrictions

By: Dave Balut

Madeira Beach, Florida - The commercial fishing boat Martiza is just back after 10 days in the Gulf. The crew caught 5,000 pounds of fish, mostly brown grouper.

"That will go to the restaurants, the local restaurants," said Dean Pruitt who owns the Martiza.

Pruitt also owns three other commercial fishing boats. He's against federal regulators proposals to reduce gag grouper fishing in the Gulf by 45 percent, which would shut down the grouper fleet the last three months of the year.

"It's going to be a big impact on the restaurants, the people that work in the restaurants, the commercial fishery, the fish house, just anybody that want to eat the grouper," said Pruitt.

Capt. Larry Blue says the proposed limit of one gag grouper per person would hurt his charter fishing business based in Treasure Island.

"You have to tell people you can't catch fish, you can't keep fish so they're not going to want to go. Y'know it's kind of like taking a ride at Disney getting on and not letting it move," said Capt. Blue.

An overflow crowd of fishermen at the Radisson Hotel in St. Petersburg told the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council how they feel about the proposed limits on gag grouper.

"If it were to go to two fish, one red and one gag, I personally do not want to spend the money for gas," said Timothy Rischak, a recreational spear fisherman from Valrico.

"The gag grouper limits you're talking about imposing are going to be a big financial burden," said Bruce Waits, a recreational fisherman from St. Petersburg.

"Any time you start messing with somebody's livelihood I'd be upset too," said Tom McIlwain, Chairman of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council.

But McIlwain says the council has to reduce gag grouping fishing.

"The science we have at this time says we have over fishing going on and therefore by law we're obligated to take action that will stop that over fishing by 2010," said McIlwain.

They'll be more hearings like this, before any reduction takes effect.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council hopes to adopt new rules for gag grouper later this year. Changes would likely take effect in 2009.