At their Dec. 5 meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission unanimously decided on a draft 2013 Gulf of Mexico gag grouper recreational season. After discussing several options and hearing public testimony from 26 people, commissioners chose draft options that, if approved in February, will make most Gulf state waters consistent with the current federal season, with the exception of a four-county region.

The current proposed federal season for Gulf gag grouper is slated to start July 1 and end when the annual catch target (the number of fish that can be harvested for that year within the rebuilding plan) is expected to be met, which will likely be sometime in November or early December. The federal season ending date should be finalized in spring 2013.