In the past week, several significant developments have taken place in Game and Fish management across the United States, reflecting both conservation priorities and evolving fishery management strategies. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, meeting in Biloxi, Mississippi, adopted a series of major measures aiming to promote both sustainability and access in Gulf fisheries. The Council extended the moratorium on issuing new federal Gulf commercial shrimp permits until October twenty-sixth, two thousand thirty-six. This ten-year extension is intended to maintain present biological and economic gains by limiting entry into the fishery. Additionally, the Council finalized a new rule that will require all commercial and recreational fishermen targeting reef fish in federal Gulf waters to possess a venting tool or descending device, which must be rigged and ready for use. These devices are crucial for reducing bycatch mortality when reef fish are released, directly improving the sustainability of these stocks. The Council also moved closer to updating essential fish habitat definitions and maps, guided by the latest research, which will help focus future protection efforts.

Another important measure discussed by the Gulf Council involves adjusting catch limits for several key species. Recent scientific assessments confirmed that mutton snapper, yellowtail snapper, and red grouper stocks remain healthy and are not experiencing overfishing. This prompted proposals to increase catch limits, with the Council considering phased-in increases for red grouper and new allocation strategies between the commercial and recreational sectors. At the same time, new stock assessments for other shallow-water grouper, such as scamp and yellowmouth grouper, will likely result in stricter harvest caps and a new closed season for recreational fishers stretching from January through June. The Council also reviewed early options for allowing the Gulf states greater authority in managing the federal for-hire red snapper fisheries.

On the West Coast, the California Fish and Game Commission held its Marine Resources Committee meeting in Sacramento on November sixth. There, regulators and stakeholders discussed new protections for the barred sand bass fishery, a move prompted by recent scientific and industry input pointing to stock vulnerabilities. The regulation, adopted earlier this year, will last for three years as the state works with researchers and anglers to gather data that will drive a more comprehensive management plan and future stock assessment. The Commission also focused on improving data collection and community involvement in coastal fishing policy.

Elsewhere, the New Mexico State Game Commission convened in Los Alamos on November seventh. Their agenda included property purchases for wildlife habitat, public meetings on hybrid striped bass stocking proposals, updates on black bear population studies in the Gila National Forest, and restoration work targeting native fish in Whitewater Creek. The state continues to seek public input on managing aquatic invasive species and revising fishing regulations in key reservoirs.

Other notable activity includes the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks calling for public input on the use of trail cameras on public lands at their upcoming November twentieth meeting, while Texas is preparing for a public discussion on post-flood fisheries management in the Colorado River Basin. On the East Coast, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Commission meets this coming week for regular business. Across the country, commissions increasingly emphasize transparency and community input, highlighting the trend toward more inclusive management.

Nationally and locally, fish and wildlife agencies are balancing conservation science with the needs of commercial and recreational users, marking a period of dynamic regulatory and management adaptation across American Game and Fish policy.

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