New fishing regulations in the Gulf of Mexico have dramatically reduced the Florida grouper harvest, driving up prices for all grouper species.
The new rules, which went into effect in January, replaced a system of closures with catch shares. The regulations require fishermen to pay 3 percent of the value of their catch, known as a "cost recovery fee," to cover the cost of managing the program.
One Gulf fish house owner said that since then, fishermen unloading at his dock have paid betwe…
