February 15, 2018 — There is no fish along the Gulf Coast more talked about than the red snapper.
Last week at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission meeting near Tallahassee, the red snapper was once again on the table for discussion.
The FWC looked at the future of Gulf red snapper management in state and federal waters, including a proposed fishery-management pilot program (also referred to as an Exempted Fishing Permit) that would allow the FWC to manage all recreational red snapper harvest caught in Gulf state and federal waters off Florida in 2018 and 2019.
The pilot program is pending approval by NOAA Fisheries and would set the harvest season for recreational anglers fishing from private vessels in state and federal waters of the Gulf, and would also include for-hire operations that do not have a federal reef fish permit and are limited to targeting reef fish in Gulf state waters only.
What impact does this have on the “for-hire” boats in Destin, such as the charter fleet, which the majority of holds a federal reef permit?
“Absolutely none,” said Destin Charter Boat Association President Gary Jarvis, who was in attendance at the meeting.
Read the full story at the Destin Log