Groupers Under Seasonal Closure!

February is upon us, and with it, seasonal closures for several kinds of grouper. Fishing for Black, Tiger, Red, Yellowfin, and Yellowedge groupers is prohibited from February 1st until April 30 in federal waters off Puerto Rico (9-200 nm) and USVI (3-200 nm), and in USVI local waters (0-3nm).

NOTE: Fishing for Yellowedge grouper in St. Croix federal waters is not prohibited anymore. The only species that have a seasonal closure in Puerto Rico local waters (0-9 nm), among these group of groupers, is the Yellowfin grouper.

For the seasonal closure calendar visit: https://caribbeanfmc.com/calendars/closed-seasons. Fishing closures are importante to protect the species during their reproduction seasons. Do not catch, transport, sell, buy, or consume species under a closure!

Black grouper (Mycteroperca bonaci)

Tiger grouper (Mycteroperca tigris)

Red grouper (Epinephelus morio)

Yellowfin grouper (Mycteroperca venenosa)

Yellowedge grouper (Hyporthodus flavolimbatus)

Illustrations by: Puerto Rico Sea Grant