Most of the fish caught by Florida fisherman are sold in other states. And most of the fish eaten in Florida restaurants come from foreign waters. Gone are the days when local fisherman sold their catches to local restaurants.

Sandi Geller, owner of Aqua Bella in Gulfport, said her grouper is fresh, never frozen, before it becomes grouper nuggets or a grouper sandwich. Her customers wouldn't stand for less.

Most of her grouper is caught far out in the Gulf of Mexico, transferred to trucks in Miami and arrives at Aqua Bella, Geller's waterfront restaurant, by land, not sea. From ocean to dinner plate, the process takes a few days at most.

All deep-water fishing closed June 27 until next year, meaning the supply of grouper will decline and the price will climb. Commercial fisherman can catch grouper in shallow water, but the haul is generally smaller.

Geller wishes there were more local fish markets in Gulfport where fisherman could sell their catch. Fishermen who work out of Madeira Beach said they would happily stock such a market. They fear the local market will entirely disappear soon.

It is almost inevitable to see grouper on the menu of Tampa Bay's seafood restaurants. It's a tradition kept alive by fishermen from Miami to Mexico and South America.

The tight regulations to protect fish supplies and the efficient importing system in the global market mean big shifts in the way commercial fishermen earn a living.

In a state surrounded by water, where tourists and locals are accustomed to eating the catch of the day from the backyard ocean, many people aren't aware of the big changes taking place.

If the current trends continue, Bobby Spaeth, the president of Maderia Beach Seafood, said, "All fish houses would be gone in Florida in three years."

A federal plan limiting or banning certain commercial harvests in order to replenish several species has been place since 2003. The goal is to increase grouper stocks, by reducing the commercial haul by 9.4 percent over three years. After that, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will assess the results and increase or decrease the annual limit.

Dan Miller, a coordinator at the Florida Fish and Wildlife agency said the regulation hasn't caused any noteworthy improvements yet, he said.

"But it will."

Last year, commercial fishermen could haul in 10,000 pounds of grouper every trip out to sea.

The trip limit was reduced to 6,000 pounds this year until June 27, when the deep water commercial fishing was closed for the rest of 2006, according to Kim Amendola of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Commercial fisheries caught about 3.3 million pounds of grouper in 2001.That decreased to 2.8 million in 2003, the latest year for which data is available.

The competition with a global fish market has been tough. At the local Publix, for example, shrimp is from Thailand, salmon is from Chile and perch fillet is from Lake Victoria in Kenya.

At Aqua Bella, 70 percent of the fish is from a Miami wholesale company.

The wholesaler gives Geller options for a wider variety of fish, about 30 percent lower prices, and greater quantities than those of local fish markets.

"It's like Wal-Mart," she said.

The waterfront bar and grill gets 230 pounds of fish every week. Of that, 175 pounds is grouper.

Ken Moroz, an accountant at Madeira Beach Seafood, said there is no way to compete with cheaper fish from around the world. For example, the price for a red grouper was $3.30 per pound at the Madeira Beach Seafood Co. last week. Miami wholesalers were charging $2.90.

Instead of competing with globally imported fish, most of the Florida fish companies transport their products out of state. About 90 percent of Madeira Beach Seafood's fish goes north to places like Chicago, New York and Canada. A shipment that leaves on Saturday will be on a Manhattan menu by Sunday evening.

Odney Baker, a well-tanned fisherman, was busy getting ready to head out on the Miss Blanca from the Madeira Beach dock last week. He worked as a construction worker for two months to fill a void in his salary last year.

"Too much regulation," he said with a wrinkle between his eyebrows.

A fisherman for 20 years, he has seen a drastic change in the fishing industry.

"We are getting way less fish," he said.

Spaeth has been an advocate for commercial fishing. Spaeth said many government regulations have been too harsh for the industry.

Back in Gulfport, Geller's business is doing well. Her customers get the Florida dining experience, including a white sand beach and blue water to gaze upon. They don't seem to care where the grouper comes from, as long as it's fresh.