6 Month Red Snapper Ban Coming ?

[Boz]

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.

[Fishinspot]

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.

[pmagrady]

They will extend it another 6 months and then make it permanent. Just watch.

On the other hand, a lawsuit will be filed shortly. It may put a stop to all of this nonsense.

[toolman]

They will extend it another 6 months and then make it permanent. Just watch.

On the other hand, a lawsuit will be filed shortly. It may put a stop to all of this nonsense.

i hope your right..

[pmagrady]

Law suits cost money. The Fishing Rights Alliance needs your support. Join today to put a stop to these closures.

HELP THE FRA TODAY!

Fill in and mail in with your check TODAY!

Name ___________________________________

Address __________________________________

City ________________ State ______ Zip ______

Email ____________________________________

I want to assist the FRA in its legal challenges to these baseless closures.

Membership ($35 per year)…..$ ______________

Additional Donation…………..$_______________

Mail to:

Fishing Rights Alliance

South Atlantic Chapter

2324 Lee Road

Winter Park, Florida 32789

[DJWILLIAMS]

Maybe the goverment is involved in this??? Close the fisheries for a year, and then after the year is up, raise the demand for snapper, and tax the hell out of it!!!!!

P.S. I agree that they should not close the snapper season, because I believe that the species is not overfished, and has an abundance to last several years. If they are worried about the larger fishes being captured, they should impose a size limit from xxx amount of inches to xxx amount of inches.

DJW

[pmagrady]

P.S. I agree that they should not close the snapper season, because I believe that the species is not overfished, and has an abundance to last several years. If they are worried about the larger fishes being captured, they should impose a size limit from xxx amount of inches to xxx amount of inches.

DJW

A slot limit is tough on bottom fish. When you pull up a fish from 180ft survival after release is difficult to guarantee. The experts say it's a 50-50 proposition.