NOAA Fisheries announced the 2026 recreational gag grouper season in federal waters of the Gulf, setting a one-month harvest window from Sept. 1 through Oct. 1.

The season will open at 12:01 a.m. local time Sept. 1 and close at 12:01 a.m. local time Oct. 1.

According to a news release from NOAA Fisheries, the closure is required because the agency projects recreational anglers will reach the recreational annual catch target by Oct. 1.

Under federal regulations, NOAA Fisheries must close the recreational harvest once the annual catch target has been met or is projected to be met.

During the closure, the bag and possession limits for gag in or from federal Gulf waters will be zero. The possession prohibition also applies in Gulf state waters for vessels holding a valid federal charter vessel or headboat permit for Gulf reef fish.

NOAA Fisheries said the most recent stock assessment for Gulf gag, known as SEDAR 72, found the stock is overfished and undergoing overfishing.

Catch limits for Gulf gag are based on projections from the SEDAR 72 assessment, which included estimates of private recreational landings in Florida derived from the Florida State Reef Fish Survey.

The recreational annual catch limit is set at 499,000 pounds gutted weight while the recreational annual catch target is set at 399,000 pounds gutted weight.

NOAA Fisheries said 2025 landings did not exceed either the recreational annual catch limit or annual catch target, meaning no payback reduction is required for this season. The agency noted paybacks had been required during the 2024 and 2025 fishing seasons.

The agency also cited increased recreational fishing effort for gag beginning in 2023 after the season was shortened and the opening date was shifted.

NOAA Fisheries said it worked with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to project the fall season length using landing data from the past three years.