The Ministry of Public Works and Environment has warned commercial and recreational fishermen off two areas to protect black groupers.

The two “grouper boxes”, which contain black grouper aggregations, are closed to fishing until December 1.

The annual closure is intended to help protect the species during spawning, when they are particularly vulnerable, as part of efforts to protect Bermuda’s important reef fish stock and support the long-term health of the marine environment.

A ministry spokeswoman said: “While the areas around the red hind aggregations opened last week, fishing is still prohibited in the ‘grouper boxes’ as the black grouper has a longer reproductive season than the red hind.”

Anyone seeking additional information can contact the Marine Resources Section of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources at 293-5600 or fisheries@gov.bm.