Red grouper will no longer be off-limits every February and March in the Gulf's federal waters past 20 fathoms (120 feet), under a NOAA Fisheries rule that took effect October 2. The same rule raises the recreational catch limit for red grouper.
The rule, known as Amendment 62, follows a 2025 stock assessment that found red grouper are not overfished and not being overfished. NOAA says red grouper, unlike gag, don't gather to spawn but stay in the same areas all year. The agency found no sign the February 1 to March 31 closure was helping them, and said it may have been pushing anglers into water inside 20 fathoms, which can mean more undersized fish thrown back. The recreational catch limit rises to 2.11 million pounds (gutted weight) this year and steps up to 2.63 million pounds by 2028.
What it means off Tampa Bay
The 20-fathom line is a long run from the bay; our offshore guide shows how far. Starting this winter, a February or March trip out there can bring home red grouper, within the current limits FWC lists for state and federal waters: 20 inches total length and two per person, as part of the four-grouper daily limit.
The other groupers are a different story. Gag closed October 1, and federal rules keep it closed from January through August. And from 2027, scamp, black, yellowfin and yellowmouth grouper will be closed in federal waters from January 1 through June 30 every year. NOAA notes that this leaves red grouper as the only shallow-water grouper open in federal waters in the first half of the year; in Florida's state waters, scamp and the others stay open unless FWC changes its rules. Far offshore, The Edges closed area still shuts from January 1 to April 30.
NOAA can still close red grouper early in any year if anglers are on track to reach the catch limit. When we checked on October 11, FWC's grouper page still listed the old February and March closure, so it may not have caught up with the change yet.
Check NOAA Fisheries' current Gulf reef fish rules before you go.