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Fishinspot

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  8. 6 Month Red Snapper Ban Coming ?

    in Boating and Fishing Discussion

    Posted

    :angry::angry:

    From today's Orlando Sentinel....

    Red snapper fishing ban moves closer

    Federal officials want to hear from the public on a potential 6-month ban

    Ludmilla Lelis

    Sentinel Staff Writer

    July 7, 2009

    If you like to eat or catch red snapper, you have until Aug. 5 to speak up.

    Federal officials are moving closer to banning the fishing of red snapper for six months along the Southeast's Atlantic coast. They will take public comment for a month before making a final decision this fall.

    The potential closure of the fishery would include recreational and commercial fishing of red snapper from North Carolina to Florida. The ban could take effect as early as October and could be extended to a full year.

    A federal report found that the red snapper is overfished, down to 3 percent of a healthy stock, making the closure necessary to rebuild the population.

    Local captains challenge that and are gathering their own evidence that the fish has rebounded.

    "Everybody up and down the coast has said we have an abundance of red snapper," said Capt. Sid Preskitt, who is part of a fishing group, a section of the Southeastern Fisheries Association, that opposes the ban. "But it's fallen on deaf ears."

    Red snapper, with its white, meaty flesh, has been a mainstay for Florida party boats and is a key part of Florida's $16.7 billion recreational-fishing industry. Records show the south Atlantic haul of the fish peaked in the late 1960s but plummeted in the 1970s and 1980s, prompting the first of several rounds of limits.

    The latest federal assessment found that despite the limits, the annual catch is still too much and that the population lacks enough of the big, older fish to help it rebound. Red snapper can live more than 50 years. The older the fish, the more fertile it is.

    Local captains say they have been catching bigger red snapper, and more of them, since the last round of regulations. They worry the ban would devastate local businesses and could be a first step toward a broader fishing ban.

    To fight the ban, Preskitt said his group hired a retired fisheries biologist to analyze the population assessment. The captains also are collecting ear bones from recently caught red snapper, hoping to prove with growth rings on those bones that plenty of older fish remain, Preskitt said. He said the group has plenty of samples of fish more than 10 years old.

    Federal officials will consider those reports and any other public comments before deciding on the ban. Roy Crabtree, regional administrator for the fisheries service, said a decision will probably be announced 45 to 60 days after the comment deadline.

    Crabtree said that if the fishery is closed, the ban could be extended for up to a year, depending on the status of permanent regulations by the regional fishery council. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is already working on a new set of permanent fishing regulations, which may be written before the council's September meeting.

    People can submit comments about the proposed ban online at regulations.gov, enter " NOAA-NMFS-2008-0089" in the keyword search, then select "Send a Comment or Submission," or by mailing Karla Gore, Southeast Regional Office, NMFS, 263 13th Ave. S., St. Petersburg, FL 33701.

  25. 100 Degrees in FLL Today

    in Boating and Fishing Discussion

    Posted

    I'm in Kuwait right now and it's 113F (45c). Supposed to get to 116/118F (47/48c) this weekend. The humidity is not to high right now but it is just nasty hot. :1898_: I'm ready to get back to sunny, nasty humidity Destin!! :wacko: I was in Abu Dhabi last week and it was about 105/109 but I though it would be better here. NOPE! I see now why so many people wear the outfits they do here. Much cooler than what we normally wear.

    Oh, and of course can't even pretend I'm staying cool with a cold one. the coldest thing I've gotten here was a bottle of water. :2261_high::2261_high:

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