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50 C.F.R. § 622.37   Size limits.

Title 50 - Wildlife and Fisheries

Title 50: Wildlife and Fisheries
PART 622—FISHERIES OF THE CARIBBEAN, GULF, AND SOUTH ATLANTIC
Subpart C—Management Measures

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§ 622.37   Size limits.

Link to an amendment published at 71 FR 45435, Aug. 9, 2006.

All size limits in this section are minimum size limits unless specified otherwise. Except for undersized king and Spanish mackerel allowed in paragraphs (c)(2) and (c)(3) of this section, a fish not in compliance with its size limit, as specified in this section, in or from the Caribbean, Gulf, South Atlantic, and/or Mid-Atlantic EEZ, as appropriate, may not be possessed, sold, or purchased. A fish not in compliance with its size limit must be released immediately with a minimum of harm. The operator of a vessel that fishes in the EEZ is responsible for ensuring that fish on board are in compliance with the size limits specified in this section.

(a) Caribbean reef fish: Yellowtail snapper—12 inches (30.5 cm), TL.

(b) Caribbean spiny lobster—3.5 inches (8.9 cm), carapace length.

(c) Coastal migratory pelagic fish. (1) Cobia in the Gulf, Mid-Atlantic, or South Atlantic—33 inches (83.8 cm), fork length.

(2) King mackerel in the Gulf, South Atlantic, or Mid-Atlantic—24 inches (61.0 cm), fork length, except that a vessel fishing under a quota for king mackerel specified in §622.42(c)(1) may possess undersized king mackerel in quantities not exceeding 5 percent, by weight, of the king mackerel on board.

(3) Spanish mackerel in the Gulf, South Atlantic, or Mid-Atlantic—12 inches (30.5 cm), fork length, except that a vessel fishing under a quota for Spanish mackerel specified in §622.42(c)(2) may possess undersized Spanish mackerel in quantities not exceeding 5 percent, by weight, of the Spanish mackerel on board.

(d) Gulf reef fish—(1) Snapper. (i) Lane snapper—8 inches (20.3 cm), TL.

(ii) Vermilion snapper—11 inches (27.9 cm), TL.

(iii) Cubera, dog, gray, mahogany, and yellowtail snappers and schoolmaster—12 inches (30.5 cm), TL.

(iv) Red snapper—16 inches (40.6 cm), TL, for a fish taken by a person subject to the bag limit specified in §622.39(b)(1)(iii) and 15 inches (38.1 cm), TL, for a fish taken by a person not subject to the bag limit.

(v) Mutton snapper—16 inches (40.6 cm), TL.

(2) Grouper. (i) Scamp—16 inches (40.6 cm), TL.

(ii) Red grouper and yellowfin grouper—20 inches (50.8 cm), TL.

(iii) Black grouper and gag—(A) For a person not subject to the bag limit specified in §622.39(b)(1)(ii)—24 inches (61.0 cm), TL.

(B) For a person subject to the bag limit specified in §622.39(b)(1)(ii)—22 inches (55.9 cm), TL.

(3) Other Gulf reef fish species. (i) Gray triggerfish—12 inches (30.5 cm), TL.

(ii) Hogfish—12 inches (30.5 cm), fork length.

(iii) Banded rudderfish and lesser amberjack—14 inches (35.6 cm), fork length (minimum size); 22 inches (55.9 cm), fork length (maximum size).

(iv) Greater amberjack—28 inches (71.1 cm), fork length, for a fish taken by a person subject to the bag limit specified in §622.39(b)(1)(i); and 36 inches (91.4 cm), fork length, for a fish taken by a person not subject to the bag limit.

(e) South Atlantic snapper-grouper—(1) Snapper. (i) Lane snapper—8 inches (20.3 cm), TL.

(ii) Vermilion snapper—11 inches (27.9 cm), TL, for a fish taken by a person subject to the bag limit specified in §622.39 (d)(1)(v) and 12 inches (30.5 cm), TL, for a fish taken by a person not subject to the bag limit.

(iii) Blackfin, cubera, dog, gray, mahogany, queen, silk, and yellowtail snappers; and schoolmaster—12 inches (30.5 cm), TL.

(iv) Mutton snapper—16 inches (40.6 cm), TL.

(v) Red snapper—20 inches (50.8 cm), TL.

(2) Grouper. (i) Red, yellowfin, and yellowmouth grouper; and scamp—20 inches (50.8 cm), TL.

(ii) Black grouper and gag—24 inches (61.0 cm), TL.

(3) Other snapper-grouper species. (i) Black sea bass—10 inches (25.4 cm), TL.

(ii) Gray triggerfish in the South Atlantic EEZ off Florida—12 inches (30.5 cm), TL.

(iii) Hogfish—12 inches (30.5 cm), fork length.

(iv) Red porgy—14 inches (35.6 cm), TL.

(v) Greater amberjack—28 inches (71.1 cm), fork length, for a fish taken by a person subject to the bag limit specified in §622.39(d)(1)(i) and 36 inches (91.4 cm), fork length, for a fish taken by a person not subject to the bag limit.

(f) Gulf shrimp. White shrimp harvested in the EEZ are subject to the minimum-size landing and possession limits of Louisiana when possessed within the jurisdiction of that State.

(g) Caribbean queen conch—9 inches (22.9 cm) in length, that is, from the tip of the spire to the distal end of the shell, and 3/8 inch (9.5 mm) in lip width at its widest point. A queen conch with a length of at least 9 inches (22.9 cm) or a lip width of at least 3/8 inch (9.5 mm) is not undersized.

(h) Dolphin in the Atlantic off Florida and off Georgia—20 inches (50.8 cm), fork length.

[61 FR 34934, July 3, 1996, as amended at 61 FR 65483, Dec. 13, 1996; 62 FR 13988, Mar. 25, 1997; 63 FR 444, Jan. 6, 1998; 63 FR 10567, Mar. 4, 1998; 64 FR 3628, Jan. 25, 1999; 64 FR 45459, Aug. 20, 1999; 64 FR 57404, Oct. 25, 1999; 65 FR 31831, May 19, 2000; 65 FR 50162, Aug. 17, 2000; 69 FR 30242, May 27, 2004; 70 FR 33389, June 8, 2005]

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