NWF Daily News - Red Snapper Proposal Worries Local Anglers

News Article

By Jennie McKeon

Local charter boat fishermen are concerned that a new proposal from gulf state agencies may greatly affect their livelihood.

Last week, marine fishery directors from all five states bordering the Gulf of Mexico -- the first time all of the states have collaborated -- sent out a proposal to Congress to develop an independent body, Gulf State Red Snapper Management Authority.

The group would approve each state's management plan, coordinate population assessments, provide consistent accountability measures and distribute federal funding for research, assessment and management.

If the plan is approved, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida would be responsible for managing red snapper off its coast and would eliminate the federal government from the commercial and recreational red snapper fishing.

"I have not been impressed with management by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)," said Representative Matt Gaetz. "Anytime we can have regional or statewide control, I'm in support of it.

"I'm also very supportive of a voluntary, local effort to collect better data."

Charter boat fishermen have responded to the proposal with general opposition. A press release from the Charter Fisherman's Association describes the plan as a "scheme."

"This scheme would jeopardize a management plan that has successfully kept commercial fishermen under their limits since 2007 and to the rebuilding of the red snapper population," read the statement from Shane Cantrell, executive director of the Charter Fisherman's Association, which represents all five of the Gulf states.

"It would also halt significant progress made to improve fishing for millions of recreational anglers who rely on chartered fishing trips to access the Gulf red snapper fishery."

Gary Jarvis of the Destin Charter Boat Association said he speaks for all charter boat fishermen when he said "we do not want states to have control of federal fisheries."

"There's nothing to protect us from this group banning fishing for professional or for-profit or commercial fisherman," he said. "Historically, states have never been kind to them."

Destin charter boat captain Jim Green said it would only take four votes to ban all commercial fishing if states had full management.

Jarvis said he, along with fisherman around the Gulf states, will fight the proposal by writing to state representatives.

"This is not a viable option for fishermen in Northwest Florida," he said.

The Gulf Fisheries Management Council, acting on advice from NOAA Fisheries biologists, has kept recreational seasons short even though red snapper have been getting bigger and more plentiful.

Federal officials have said that the recreational quota fills fast because anglers are catching bigger fish and over a wider area of the Gulf than they used to, and each season gets truncated because anglers went over the previous year's quota.

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