January 30, 2018 — As a chef and restaurant owner, I consider it an important obligation to be a responsible part of the seafood economy. Restaurants are the link between the amazing seafood of Louisiana and the consumers who travel here to enjoy it. I hope my customers and children are able to eat Gulf fish for the rest of their lives. I sincerely want all involved parties to be able to sustainably harvest more fish.
American fisheries are the most productive and well-managed in the world as a direct result of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the main law overseeing federal fisheries. The Magnuson-Stevens Act works.
In the mid-1990s, red snapper stocks were reduced to 3 percent of historic levels by decades of overfishing. We are now in the fortunate position of being able to catch and eat this fish because of successful management strategies. However, the population is far from fully recovered.
All commercial species, including red snapper, feed directly into the Louisiana restaurant industry. We are projected to have an 8.9 billion dollar financial impact in 2017 and employ more than 207,000 people.
These numbers do not include fishers, dockworkers and numerous adjacent seafood-based industries, nor those who regularly access seafood through restaurants and markets. This massive population would be harmed if MSA is weakened.
Read the full letter at the New Orleans Times-Picayune