The ruling has been finalized to close the recreational greater amberjack season for the months of June and July. Current projections estimate that the 2011 quota would be reached by late August if no in-season closure is made.
An in-season closure was chosen to avoid the early seasonal closure, and allow the season to extend further into the fall than projected. This is not cutting the number of fishing days from years past for 2011, it is simply re-arranging the time of year that the fishing days are allowed.
This change was made so that the closure of coincides with the opening of red snapper season, which essentially ensures that at least one offshore species can be kept year round.
