Anglers hitting the Atlantic waters off Florida’s coast have just a few days left to land a snowy grouper. State wildlife officials announced a sudden end to the season, shutting down the popular deep-water fishery months ahead of schedule.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) issued an executive order to close recreational harvest of snowy grouper in state waters of the Atlantic Ocean, including all state waters off Monroe County. The shutdown takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on June 7, matching a parallel emergency closure implemented in adjacent federal waters.
The early closure targets a specific management strategy to protect long-term populations. According to the agency, consistent state and federal recreational seasons for Atlantic snowy grouper will help prevent quota overages and rebuild the fishery, while also helping to ensure future harvest opportunities.
Snowy grouper live in deep reef habitats and take years to mature, making them highly vulnerable to overfishing.
Because federal waters—which begin 3 nautical miles off Florida’s Atlantic coast—are already closing, the state chose to match the boundaries to keep rules simple for boats moving between jurisdictions and to ensure the total catch limit isn’t blown out.
Anglers looking for clarification on the sudden shift or wanting to check current limits for other reef species can find details online. To learn more about current recreational grouper regulations, visit MyFWC.com/Marine, click “Recreational Regulations”, followed by “Reef Fish” and then “Grouper” or download the Fish Rules App.
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