A Tuesday hearing in Key Largo will outline a federal proposal to prohibit fishing for deepwater grouper species, and review annual catch-limit plans for fish including black grouper and red grouper.</p><p>Also up for comment at the federal South Atlantic Fishery Management Council session will be a plan to establish large no-fishing areas for snapper and grouper, but the suggested closures zones are north of Cape Canaveral.</p><p>The comment session at the Key Largo Grande resort at mile marker 97 will be open from 3 to 7 p.m. Council staff will make periodic presentations on possible changes to the federal snapper-grouper plan.</p><p>Proposed new rules are separate from the four-month closed season on shallow-water grouper that begins Jan. 1 in federal Atlantic waters.</p><p>"Those [closed-season rules in Amendment 16] have already been approved, so no comments will be taken on them," council spokeswoman Kim Iverson said. "Fishermen can, however, comment on the cumulative effect of regulation."</p><p>Fishery managers are pressing several sweeping regulatory changes to meet deadlines imposed under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the federal law that regulates fisheries. </p><p>In short, the act requires annual catch limits and other protective measures to be enacted by 2010 for species that are considered overfished, and by 2011 for most other species.</p><p>The pending January-to-May closure on shallow-water grouper started as a move to protect the overfished gag grouper, and was expanded to other species.</p><p>One of the most significant new proposals for Keys fishermen may be the recommended closure of fishing in waters deeper than 240 feet for grouper species including snowy grouper, blueline tilefish, yellowedge grouper, Warsaw grouper, speckled hind, misty grouper, queen snapper and silk snapper.</p><p>Warsaw grouper and speckled hind are considered extremely overfished -- the proposed annual catch limits for both species "is zero," Iverson said -- so the ban on the related species would prevent any accidental bycatch.</p><p>Not affected would be golden tilefish, because it tends to be caught in a different type of habitat.</p><p>Council staff also will explain how annual catch limits will work for various segments of the recreational and commercial fishery.</p><p>A preferred alternative adopted by the council staff recommends an annual catch limit for gag, black and red grouper of 662,403 pounds for commercial harvests, and 648,663 pounds for recreational harvest.</p><p>Tuesday's comment session in Key Largo is the first of three in Florida; the others are Wednesday in Cape Canaveral and Thursday in Jacksonville. The council also accepts written and e-mail comments until 5 p.m. Nov. 25.</p><p>Copies of the public-hearing documents with details on how to submit comments are on the council's Web site, <a href=”http://”target=” www.safmc.net”> www.safmc.net </a>.