The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will hold the second of three Recreational Initiative Working Group meetings on January 8-9, 2025 at the Hyatt Centric, French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana. The meeting will convene at 9:00 AM Central Time each day.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s Recreational Initiative is an effort to evaluate past and current recreational reef fish management strategies and explore potential innovative management approaches that could be applied in the future. The effort focuses on 5 species as examples that might be applied to other species: Red snapper, red grouper, gag grouper, greater amberjack, and gray triggerfish.

The Recreational Initiative Working Group is comprised of individuals representing key Gulf recreational fishing interests, including private anglers, for-hire operators, associated marine industries, and advocates. The meeting will be facilitated and operate using a consensus-based process.

During this second meeting, the Working Group will review the status of the five focal species, assess current and historical management measures of each species, and assess the performance of accountability measures applied to the recreational sector over time.

The meeting is open to the public and will be broadcast via webinar. A summary of the meeting will be presented and public comment will be solicited during a stand-alone virtual Public Workshop that is scheduled for 6:00 – 9:00 PM Eastern Time on January 16, 2025.

More information on the Council’s Recreational Initiative, including links to listen to the Working Group meeting, provide written comment, and join the virtual Public Workshop can be found on the Recreational Initiative Webpage.