Caribbean, managed under the Puerto Rico Fishery Management Plan, the St. Commercial data reporting requirements.Year-round and/or seasonal area closures for commercial and recreational sectors to protect spawning groupers.Minimum size limits protect immature red grouper.To reduce bycatch, there are restrictions on the type of gear fishermen may use and where they can fish.The IFQ program ( catch shares) allocates the commercial catch limit among shareholders with measures to prevent fishermen from harvesting more than their individual allocation.

The annual catch limit is allocated between the commercial (76 percent) and recreational (24 percent) fisheries.

Commercial vessels must have a reef fish permit and individual fishing quota (IFQ) to harvest red grouper.

In the Gulf of Mexico, managed under the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan:.

A rebuilding plan to rebuild the stock to the target population level is in place with a target date of 2022.

The Oculina Experimental Closed Area is closed to fishing for and possession of all snappers and groupers to protect deepwater coral habitat and the reef fish it supports.

There are eight deep-water marine protected areas and several spawning special management zones to protect habitats.

Gear restrictions are used to reduce bycatch and protect habitat.

The commercial and recreational fishing seasons are closed from January through April to protect red grouper during their peak spawning period.

Both the commercial and recreational fisheries have size limits to reduce harvest of immature red grouper.

These fisheries are closed when their annual catch limit is projected to be met.

Annual catch limits are used for red grouper in the commercial and recreational fisheries.

Managers limit the number of available permits to control the number of fishermen harvesting red grouper.

Commercial fishermen must have a permit to fish, land, or sell red grouper.

In the South Atlantic, managed under the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan:.

NOAA Fisheries and the South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Fishery Management Councils manage the red grouper fishery:.

Large sharks and carnivorous marine mammals prey on adult red grouper. Smaller grouper are preyed on by the same predators that eat snappers, including jacks, other groupers, sharks, barracudas, and morays.They engulf prey whole by opening their large mouths, dilating their gill covers, rapidly drawing in a current of water, and inhaling the food. Red grouper are unspecialized and opportunistic feeders-they eat any convenient prey. They are among the top predators in reef community food webs and may control some aspects of community balance in reef systems.Red grouper feed on a wide variety of fish, octopus, and crustaceans, including shrimp, lobsters, and mantis shrimp.They spawn frequently, close to 26 times a year, in shallow waters from February through June.The proportion of males in the population increases with age. Some later transform into males, most often between the ages of 7 and 15. They are protogynous hermaphrodites-they begin life as females and sexually mature when they reach 4 to 6 years of age.The oldest recorded red grouper in the South Atlantic was 26 years old and the oldest recorded in the Gulf of Mexico was 29 years old.Red grouper grow slowly, up to almost 50 inches long and more than 50 pounds.This complex is not subject to overfishing based on 2021 catch data. John Grouper 4 Complex and is not assessed so the overfished status is unknown. In the Caribbean, red grouper is part of the St.Croix Grouper 5 Complex and is not assessed so the overfished status is unknown. In the Caribbean, red grouper is part of the Puerto Rico Grouper 4 Complex and is not assessed so the overfished status is unknown.The South Atlantic stock is overfished (2017 stock assessment), but is not subject to overfishing based on 2022 catch data. Summary stock assessment information can be found on Stock SMART.The Gulf of Mexico stock is not overfished (2019 stock assessment), and is not subject to overfishing based on 2022 catch data. Summary stock assessment information can be found on Stock SMART.

According to the most recent stock assessments: There are five stocks of red grouper: the Gulf of Mexico stock, the South Atlantic stock, and three Caribbean stocks contained in the Puerto Rico Grouper 4 Complex, the St.

Grouper fish good to eat