South Atlantic gag and black grouper vessel limit becomes two fish combined on Oct. 28

South Atlantic recreational boats get a tighter gag and black grouper vessel cap at the end of the month. A National Marine Fisheries Service final rule published Sept. 28, 2026 (91 FR 61160), implements Regulatory Amendment 36 and takes effect Oct. 28. In federal waters the private-boat vessel limit becomes two gag or black grouper in any combination per day. On a charter boat or headboat it is two fish in any combination per trip. The vessel cap applies when two or more anglers are aboard.

The per-person bag does not change: one gag or black grouper per person per day. If the bag and the vessel limit conflict, the tighter one wins. NMFS’s example: three anglers on a private boat may have two gag and black grouper combined per day. One angler alone is still held to one fish per day. The rule says the captain and crew of a charter vessel or headboat still have a bag of zero for those two species. The change replaces separate two-fish vessel limits for each species, which could add up to four fish, with one combined limit of two. NMFS says the gag stock is overfished and undergoing overfishing, and is in a rebuilding plan that runs to 2032.

The same rule eases transit for commercial on-demand, or ropeless, black sea bass pots. In marine protected areas and spawning special management zones, those pots may keep buoys attached while a vessel is in direct transit if the pots are not baited. Traditional roped pots still have to have buoys disconnected. The rule covers the South Atlantic snapper-grouper fishery, not a single state season.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Federal Register — Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic; Regulatory Amendment 36 (Sept. 28, 2026; effective Oct. 28, 2026). Contact in the rule: Rick DeVictor, 727-824-5305.