February 6, 2020 — States on the Gulf of Mexico can keep setting seasons and bag limits for anglers going after red snapper in federal waters when a two-year experiment becomes permanent Thursday.
The rule will take effect with publication in the Federal Register, the U.S. Commerce Department said.
The Environmental Defense Fund, an environmental group, said Wednesday that it was cautiously optimistic about the rule for the popular sport and table fish, which is recovering from nearly disastrous overfishing.
“There’s still some kinks to be worked out with the data collection” in some states, said Sepp Haukebo, the group’s manager for private angler management reform. For instance, he said, in some years before the experimental program started, Alabama’s estimates of the amount taken were as low as 30% of the federal estimates for that state.
“They’ve gotten a lot closer in the last couple of years,” he said, adding that Alabama has announced improvements that should make its tallies more accurate.