June 10, 2012 — MOBILE, Alabama — The next few days will provide a perfect example of the pitfalls of the current 40-day, derby-style recreational red snapper fishing season.
They will also afford a window into the possible advantages of the proposal being floated by Dr. Bob Shipp to allow Gulf Coast states and not the federal government to manage reef species such as red snapper, grouper, gray triggerfish and amberjack.
Shipp, a renowned marine scientist and 16-year member of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, suggests reauthorizing the Magnuson-Stevens act this year to allow states to manage reef fish instead of the NOAA Fisheries Service. Under Shipp's plan, the feds would retain oversight of highly migratory species such as mackerel, tuna, dolphin, wahoo and billfish. These are species the National Marine Fisheries Service has managed without unfairly burdening fishermen with unreasonably short seasons.
State reef management would extend along state lines out to the federal Exclusive Economic Zone or 200 miles into the Gulf of Mexico.
It's likely that forecasts all along the central Gulf Coast of seas offshore pushing toward 7 feet and good chances of thunderstorms through Thursday will keep all but the heartiest fishermen at the dock.
For the weekend warrior, the bad weather forecast is disappointing. For charter captains, deckhands and dock workers, it could be devastating since lost fishing days almost always mean a missed paycheck.
While captains and their crews could likely handle the beating the sea inflicts when it's churned up, their customers — the folks who sign the checks — can't.
It's probably a good thing that most Gulf Coast charter captains have long moved beyond a reliance on red snapper to provide the majority of their income. They've done a great job of marketing the ability to catch other snapper species, mackerel, cobia, redfish and edible bluewater species such as dolphin, wahoo and tuna.
Still, no one's livelihood should be threatened because they did the right thing and canceled fishing trips because they're looking out for their customers' safety.
It's ludicrous that captains all along the coast are being forced to make those tough calls this week when red snapper populations are so high in the Gulf, perhaps more than ever.