The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is temporarily adjusting the 2025 recreational fishing season for gag fish in the South Atlantic to protect the fish population. This rule means the fishing season will start on May 1, 2025, but will close early on June 26, 2025, after projections showed the catch limit would be reached by that date. During this closure, anglers cannot catch or keep any gag fish until the new season begins on May 1, 2026. The decision aims to prevent overfishing as it did in 2024 and was not subject to public comment because the necessary rules were already established.
Simple Explanation
The people who take care of fish in the ocean decided to shorten the time people can catch a fish called gag in 2025, so there will still be lots of them to catch in the future. This means people can catch them from May 1 to June 26, 2025, and then they have to wait until next year.