Louisiana will close recreational greater amberjack fishing in state waters at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, shutting the door on a season that saw anglers haul in more than 335,000 pounds of the overfished species in just 43 days. The closure brings state rules in line with federal waters, where the window opened September 1 and ran its full allotted course before hitting the ceiling regulators set months ago.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries issued an emergency declaration to close recreational amberjack fishing in state waters, a move announced by Wildlife Secretary Tyler Bosworth, according to New Orleans CityBusiness. The decision followed a determination by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that the annual federal-water harvest allowance of just over 167 tons had been met, prompting Louisiana to align its own regulations with the federal cutoff, per the same outlet's reporting.
For most of the season, recreational anglers were limited to one amberjack per person per day, with a 34-inch minimum fork length requirement under federal reef fish rules, according to NOAA Fisheries. The Gulf population is considered overfished.
Why the Season Ran Longer Than Last Year
This year's 43-day window was actually an improvement over 2025, when the recreational season lasted just 26 days. NOAA Fisheries set the 2026/2027 Gulf recreational annual catch target for greater amberjack at 335,320 pounds, with an annual catch limit of 404,000 pounds, numbers that directly shaped how long federal managers could keep the season open.
That prior overage was steep. During the 2024/2025 fishing year, Gulf recreational anglers landed 882,451 pounds of greater amberjack, blowing past the 404,000-pound catch limit by 478,451 pounds and triggering an emergency shutdown on September 27, 2025. Federal rules require dollar-for-dollar payback reductions in future harvest whenever limits are exceeded, which is part of why the 2025 season got squeezed so tightly before this year's rebound.
The commercial season’s quota was reached on August 8, 2026, closing federal-water harvest.
Louisiana Pushes for More Control
Greater amberjack is classified as overfished in the Gulf of Mexico, which is why catch limits exist in the first place — to prevent long-term overfishing and population decline, as federal regulators have emphasized.
On August 6, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission approved a resolution requesting an Exempted Fishing Permit from NOAA to test state-led management of recreational amberjack, proposing a 61-day summer season running June 1 through July 31 for 2027 through 2029, according to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
Private recreational anglers landed 805,453 pounds of red snapper during the 2025 season, a benchmark Hoodline previously covered when 90% of the state's quota was reached ahead of the season's close.
Federal Possession Restrictions
Vessels holding a valid federal charter vessel/headboat permit for Gulf reef fish are barred from possessing greater amberjack in state waters during federal closures, under NOAA’s reef fish rules.
