More deep-water closures are impacting fishermen on the South Atlantic coast. Federal fishery managers voted this week to close black sea bass from February to June. Red snapper were closed along the South Atlantic coast two months ago.
And several grouper species will be closed starting Monday beyond 240 feet from North Carolina to South Florida, including gag, snowy, red and black grouper. These closures are aimed at protecting Warsaw grouper and speckled hind, two species in decline.
At issue in these closures and others around Florida is the federal managers' reaction to the updated Magnuson-Stevens Act in 2006 that called to an end for all overfishing.
Critics, led by the Coastal Conservation Association, continually question the science employed to determine the need for closures on either side of the state.
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