Snapper Ban

[crash1371]

http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=254546

SEAFOOD.COM NEWS by David Rainer Jan 18, 2010 -

All Rights Reserved.

Red snapper fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico got a Christmas present this holiday season. Problem is, those anglers won't be able to open the package for at least a year.

After an update to the red snapper stock assessment late last year, the designation of 'overfishing' has been lifted from the Gulf snapper stock. However, the 'overfished' designation remains. Therefore, anglers will likely have to wait at least another year before red snapper bag limits and season dates are increased.

Vernon Minton, director of the Marine Resources Division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said getting rid of the 'overfishing' stigma gives the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council a great deal more leeway in the snapper management plan.

'That's real good news and we can start to look at increased quotas down the road,' Minton said. 'Part of the problem, though, because of the success of the program, last year anglers caught less fish but they weighed more. So they still went over the quota by more than a million pounds.'

Minton also explained how the Gulf council uses the definitions of overfishing and overfished.

'Overfishing is a rate of taking that the fishery cannot sustain,' said Minton, also a member of the Gulf council. 'Typically, you'll start out with overfishing and you end up with a stock in an overfished state. Overfished is where you have fished a fishery so long that if it continues that way it would not be able to recover at all. You hit a state where recruitment into the fishery is not going to be there for the future.

'Right now we've stopped the overfishing, but we're still overfished. Since we're not taking out more than is put in, it should develop the stock. Then at some point there won't be overfishing and not overfished at the same time.'

Because of the Magnuson-Steven Act, all overfishing had to end by 2010 or more drastic measures would ensue. However, even though overfishing has ended, the Gulf council must still abide by certain guidelines to reach the overall goal of the fishery no longer being overfished.

The Gulf council will meet Feb. 1-4 at the Battle House in Mobile to set the 2010 seasons and bag limits for red snapper and other reef fish.

'This is the first time in the last 20 years that we've considered that red snapper were not undergoing overfishing,' Minton said. 'I'd say it's very promising and hope that the powers that be, primarily NOAA's Fisheries Service (formerly known as National Marine Fisheries Service), will continue to look at this picture in terms that science is starting to catch up with what the anglers are experiencing. That's promising. It's been this way for a long time. It's just now that science or scientists say they see it, too. Hopefully, now we can move forward.'

Under parameters the Gulf council's Scientific and Statistical Committee established for 'Over Fishing Limit,' the limit would be 9.26 million pounds in 2010 and steadily increase to 11.73 million pounds by 2015.

'The update showed harvest levels were still a bit too high in 2008; however, scientific projections are promising for 2009, indicating that the stock may improve enough to support higher harvest levels,' Dr. Bonnie Ponwith, Southeast Fisheries Science Center director for NOAA's Fisheries Service, said in a news release.

'This is very exciting news and is evidence of how science and management can work together to protect our natural resources.'

The Gulf council is allowed to set the annual quota at 75 percent of the overfishing limit of that year, which ends up as 6.9 million pounds for the combined recreational and commercial sectors in 2010.

Bob Shipp, chairman of the Gulf council and head of marine sciences at the University of South Alabama, said when last year's over-the-quota catch is subtracted, recreational anglers will be disappointed by what remains under the Christmas tree.

'It's not going to be too much of a present because even though the allowable catch is up 40 percent over last year, we were over so much on last year's quota that it may not translate into to much good news for 2010,' Shipp said.

'Because the quota is based on tonnage rather than number of fish caught, that's why the recreational sector went over. The recreational quota was 2.5 million pounds and it looks like it's coming in at a little more than 4 million pounds. The reason is the bigger fish. The average size went from 3.5 pounds to 5 pounds. We will probably have a similar season and bag limit because of the overruns last year.

'However, the long-term trend I think is very positive. I think the (computer) models are starting to catch up with reality. I don't think they're there yet. I still think they way, way underestimate stocks. But the people who run the models are becoming aware of that, so they're trying to make updates to better reflect reality. The models are starting to appreciate the bigger fish. That's why the models are starting to look more positive. One of the problems is that the models have said we don't have enough old fish and too many young fish. If you've got too few at the top, models interpret that as those fish have been caught. That's not necessarily true.'

Shipp insists the information that is plugged into the models is skewed because it comes from fishery-dependent sources.

'Commercial guys target small fish because they get a better price,' he said. 'When that information is used in the model, the model interprets that as there aren't enough big fish. We need fishery independent data where you sample the population randomly. Even NMFS is fully aware that that's the problem.'

Shipp and the USA Marine Sciences Department has been performing snapper-tagging studies off the Alabama coast for years and it is apparent to him and his fellow researchers that the models and reality don't match.

'Part of our research is we sample artificial structures,' he said. 'Many of our tagged fish have been recaptured off of Florida. Florida is seeing more red snapper than ever in the past. We think it's because of our artificial reefs and our eggs and larvae that have caused that increase.

'Sean Powers on our staff is chairman of the panel that updated the (red snapper stock) assessment and presented the update to the Scientific and Statistical Committee. The committee voted 16-3 to accept the update. Sean has been out with us a dozen times and he knows what's out there.'

Shipp said Roy Crabtree, southeast regional administrator for NOAA's Fisheries Service, admits that somehow the model is missing the huge quantity of red snapper that has shown up off of Florida.

'Dr. Crabtree said somehow or other we've got to incorporate those fish, too,' Shipp said. 'He's on board, too, a little late in my opinion, but nevertheless, he's on board. I think he will also push for a new stock assessment. Right now, a stock assessment is not due for four more years. If we could get a stock assessment in 2011 then they'll be able to incorporate the new information.'

In the meantime, Shipp said that removing the shackles of the overfishing declaration means a great deal to the average Gulf angler.

'It means we are out from under the gun of the 2010 deadline to end overfishing,' he said. 'If this update hadn't come in as well as it did, we would have had to set a quota of 2.5 million pounds. That's how low we would have had to go under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. That's commercial and recreational. That's almost bycatch. It would have been terrible. Now we've got a little breathing room.'

John Sackton, Editor And Publisher

Seafood.com News 1-781-861-1441

Email comments to jsackton@seafood.com

[welder]

Thanks for the up date Tim.

[pmagrady]

Thanks for the update Tim.

Ironically, we are covered up in snapper and grouper off the east coast (Port Canaveral area). Those that can get out on a nice day can't get away from the snapper and grouper. We are now targeting Cobia, but we have trouble avoiding the nearly "extinct" snapper and grouper.

The fishing clubs here are putting together a petition asking for the Feds to fix the system. I will be posting a link where you can get an electronic copy to send via email to your friends and family. The idea is to have the the petition signed by everyone, regardless if they fish. We want this to go "viral". I'll be asking for your help shortly!

Edited January 22, 2010 by MrPat

[Slough]

That is bad news for the porposies, they ate alot of snapper in the NW Fl. waters this year. Couldn't even release an unhurt live one without it getting ate.

[Cracker Larry]

We were grouper fishing in the GOM a couple of months ago, pulled up to a little wreck about 3o miles out and it was loaded with cuda swimming around the boat. Figured we'd never get a fish to the surface, but we gave it a try. The red grouper bite was good and surprisingly the cudas let us reel all the fish to the boat without eating them, but they pounced on every short we released. We were catching about 10 shorts to every keeper, and every short we released got ate before it made it 10 feet. That seemed counterproductive to fishery management, so we started putting all the shorts in the live well. Once our bait tank got crowded, we moved off a couple miles to a patch reef and released all the shorts there away from the cudas. Glad the DNR didn't show up while we had 50 shorts in the well, wonder if they would have understood our argument

[Mechdave]

I think they should drop the size limit and just say keep the first x number of snappers caught. As Larry points out the cudas get them on the way down. I have been diving at the rigs when boats come up and drop lines to bottom fish. I'll be hanging out at 20' doing my deco. Every time they throw a fish back in. There a several cudas waiting. Several lightning quick pass's and the fish disappear in a cloud of pink water and scales. Awesome sight but counter productive for the purpose of conservation.

[crash1371]

file/David Rainer)A group of red snapper seen in 2007. Federal regulators Tuesday set the 2010 red snapper at the shortest length of time ever -- between 51 and 60 days -- due the 2009 quota being exceeded by 1.7 million pounds.MOBILE, Ala. -- In December, the National Marine Fisheries Service official in charge of red snapper regulations warned that, despite a seemingly robust population, the 2010 season may be shortened because recreational anglers exceeded their quota by 1.7 million pounds in 2009.

Roy Crabtree's warning proved prophetic Tuesday, during the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council meeting in Mobile. The Reef Fish Management Committee voted to increase the total allowable catch to 6.945 million pounds, but cut the season to between 51 and 60 days -- making for the shortest snapper season ever.

Last year's season was 65 days, with a 5 million pound quota.

Commercial fishermen get 51 percent of the total catch. The full council will vote on the committee's recommendation today.

"Yes, we've increased the quota this year, but we had such an overrun last year that we've got to take steps to make sure that doesn't happen again," Crabtree said.

"The ability to raise the quota for next year (2011) is contingent on not exceeding it this year."

The bag limit will remain two fish per person per day. The 2010 season will likely open in early June.

The last several years have seen progressively shorter seasons and reduced bag limits as fisheries managers try to comply with new requirements under the federal Magnuson Stevens Fishery Management Act. The law requires that overfishing of red snapper end by 2011 and the population be fully rebuilt by 2032.

Crabtree said it remains unclear exactly how long the recreational season will be in 2010.

Preliminary data show an unexpected increase in the average size of fish caught in 2009. If that trend holds up during the final analysis -- with snapper averaging about 5 pounds -- the season would be 60 days. If the remaining data shows the average size of fish caught was even larger, the season would end up being 51 days, he said.

Federal scientists said recreational anglers exceeded their quota partly because of the increased size of the snapper being caught.

The 2010 recreational season closing date would not be determined until after the fisheries service analyzes all remaining data, Crabtree said, adding that this likely would not happen until May. Usually, such determinations are made by March.

Alabama marine resources director and Gulf Council member Vernon Minton said that because of the way the federal law is written, neither the council nor federal officials had any choice but to shorten the season.

"Based on the harvest rate in 2009, federal law requires (the fisheries service) to shorten the season like this in order to keep the recreational guys within their quota," Minton said, noting that short seasons and tight limits have already hurt charter captains and fishing-related businesses along the Alabama coast.

Orange Beach charter captain and fishery council member Johnny Greene said the delay in announcing the recreational season closing date would make it hard for captains to book trips with potential customers.

"It's tough on everybody because we have the law beating everybody over the head," he said. "Sometimes common sense doesn't fit in with it."

(This report was written by Press-Register Staff Reporters Jeff Dute and Ben Raines.)

[jdhunts]

Can ANYBODY explain how they determine the quota has been caught on ANY of the reef fish? I've ran out of Panama City, Fl for 20yrs. and not once has anyone ever asked how many snapper, grouper, etc.. we have caught. We have been checked on how many for that day, but he was doing his job. Seems an arbitrary number has been set and we just have to get inline. From what we and everyone else that wets a hook see is yea the snapper are larger and growing in numbers. Thats great, but the quotas and catches don't make common sense.

[welder]

I think the Bozo's guess , " Well Bob, what's that Neal, well we sold 60,000 salt water license's and they all caught 2 fish each @ 5.0 lbs each X's a 100 day season so that's a 1000lbs per , Neal that's 600,000lbs"

Does that sound about right fellas?

[crash1371]

I think what they are saying is, that is saltwater hitting us in the face. Funny thing about that is were not even on the water.

Welder, that price for snapper is getting more then I paid for my wife's and I'm still making down payments