Caribbean Fishery Bulletin
Bringing Fishing News to You
FB25-002
FISHERY BULLETIN ISSUE DATE: January 30, 2025
CONTACT: Sarah Stephenson, 727-824-5305, sarah.stephenson@noaa.gov
Reminder of Seasonal Fishing Closure for Certain Groupers in Federal Waters around Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and St. John, and St. Croix and Seasonal Closure of Grammanik Bank off St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
What/When:
Seasonal Grouper Closure
The seasonal closure on fishing for or possession of red, black, tiger, yellowfin, and yellowedge* grouper in federal waters around Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and St. John, and St. Croix begins on February 1, 2025, and extends through April 30, 2025.
• The prohibition on possession does not apply to such grouper harvested and landed on shore prior to the closure.
*This seasonal closure does not apply to yellowedge grouper in St. Croix, as this species is no longer managed by the Caribbean Fishery Management Council in federal waters off St. Croix.
Fishing Prohibitions in Grammanik Bank, U.S. Virgin Islands
The seasonal closure on fishing for or possession of any fish species, except highly migratory species, in the Grammanik Bank area off St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (Figure 1) begins on February 1, 2025, and extends through April 30, 2025
• The term “fish” means finfish, molluscs, crustaceans, and all other forms of marine animal and plant life other than marine mammals and birds.
The Grammanik Bank area is located south of St. Thomas and bounded by the following coordinates:
A 18°11.898' N 64°56.328' W
B 18°11.645' N 64°56.225' W
C 18°11.058' N 64°57.810' W
D 18°11.311' N 64°57.913' W
Figure 1. Map showing the Grammanik Bank area (rectangle A, B, C, D) off St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Why These Closures Are Happening:
These seasonal closures protect species when they are spawning (reproducing) and therefore more vulnerable to fishing pressure.
Sign Up For Text Message Alerts - Find Out About Immediate Openings and Closures
NOAA's Text Message Alert Program allows you to receive important fishery-related alerts via text message. Standard message & data rates may apply. You may opt-out at any time. Text alerts you may receive include immediate fishery openings and closures and any significant changes to fishing regulations that happen quickly.
Sign up for one or more of the fisheries-related alerts below by texting the following to 888777:
• Gulf of Mexico Recreational: Text GULFRECFISH
• Gulf of Mexico Commercial: Text GULFCOMMFISH
• South Atlantic Recreational: Text SATLRECFISH
• South Atlantic Commercial: Text SATLCOMMFISH
• Caribbean: Text CARIBFISH
Quick Glance Contact List for the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office
Other contacts:
Media: Allison Garrett, 727-551-5750
NOAA Fisheries’ Southeast Recreational Fishing Coordinator: Sean Meehan, 727-385-5202