July 12, 2021 — Commercial fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico said they were shocked to see their share of the red grouper quota cut by 600,000 pounds.
A statement released Tuesday, 29, June by the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance said the reallocation to recreational fishermen means a loss of about USD 3 million (EUR 2.5 million), a significant loss for “fishing families.” They also fear it could lead to overfishing of the species.
July 8, 2021 — Last month, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council changed the allocation between commercial and recreational red grouper from a 76:24 split to 59.3:40.7 split on a slightly reduced total allowable catch.
Yesterday, the Gulf Coast Seafood Alliance (GCSA), called the move “… deeply disturb[ing] …”. If approved, the Council’s action will deprive the citizens of the United States access to 600,000 pounds of red grouper this year currently being caught by commercial fishermen, and enjoyed by anyone who does not have the ability or opportunity to fish recreationally,” the group said in a statement. GCSA represents seafood harvesters, distributors, and restaurants across Gulf Coast.
July 6, 2021 — The following was released by the Gulf Coast Seafood Alliance:
Members of the Gulf Coast Seafood Alliance, representing seafood harvesters, distributors, and the restaurants serving their products, are deeply disturbed by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s recent proposal to reallocate 20 percent of the commercial red grouper quota to the recreational sector.
If approved, the Council’s action will deprive the citizens of the United States access to 600,000 pounds of red grouper this year currently being caught by commercial fishermen, and enjoyed by anyone who does not have the ability or opportunity to fish recreationally. It will also deprive restaurants of revenue from those landings, and will block both local residents and tourists from accessing our Gulf seafood resources.
This decision demonstrates the success of an ongoing effort by the well-funded recreational fishing lobby to take a disproportionate share of the quota for their personal enjoyment, and for the profit of companies supplying fishing gear and recreational vessels.
Of America’s approximately 330 million citizens, only 38 million are holders of recreational fishing licenses, tags, permits and stamps, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The 11 percent of Americans who enjoy fishing recreationally, who can afford the gear, boats and charters needed to participate in this sport, certainly have the right to access this resource, but they should not have the right to monopolize the resource.
The other 89 percent of Americans nationwide who do not hold fishing licenses, tags, permits or stamps also have the right to access domestic seafood resources, which they currently do through the labor of our commercial fishermen and distributors, who supply wild-caught seafood to their markets and favorite restaurants.
Commercial fishing is just as important to the Gulf tourist economy as recreational fishing, even though the benefits are often overlooked. If commercial fishermen can’t catch enough local species like grouper, the impacts will ripple through the critically important restaurant industry. Less grouper to catch means less grouper for restaurants, and that will inevitably lead to higher prices at the table.
Red grouper is one of the best selling local seafood items at Gulf restaurants. Without ready access to it at prices customers feel comfortable paying, some restaurants may have to consider supplementing their wild-caught products with farm-raised fish from overseas. Fresh, local seafood is one of the reasons people come from across the country to the Gulf; a restaurant industry without it would be far less appealing.
Appointees to the Fisheries Council selected by former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross from the slates of nominees submitted by regional governors tipped the composition of the Council in the direction of recreational fishing interests who derive their pleasure from our fisheries over those who derive their livelihoods from our fisheries.
As the former Governor of Rhode Island, our current Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, unquestionably understands the need to balance the rights of recreational fishing participants with the rights of citizen consumers. Like our Gulf Coast, the Rhode Island economy has for centuries supported fishing interests – both commercial and recreational – as well as a robust tourist trade that sustains restaurants, markets and hotels filled with guests who enjoy local seafood. We must continue developing methods to share our nation’s coastal resources and not exclude one sector in favor of another.
About the Gulf Coast Seafood Alliance
The Gulf Coast Seafood Alliance (GCSA) unites fishermen, seafood dealers, and restaurants to advocate for the fair distribution of fish across the Gulf Coast. Americans who live in or visit the Gulf should have fish to catch at sea and fish to buy onshore. Our members drive a fishing economy that provides jobs, promotes tourism, and delivers fresh seafood across the Gulf Coast. View our membership here.
July 1, 2021 — On Friday, June 25, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council took final action on Amendment 53: Red Grouper Recalibration and Reallocation.
If implemented by Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, this amendment would reduce the commercial quota share from 76 percent to 59.3 percent, or about 600,000 pounds, starting in 2022.
“Taking 600,000 pounds of red grouper quota not only directly hurts hard-working American fishermen who rely on grouper for the businesses, but it also takes fish away from the American consumer who, through the covid-19 pandemic, proved that they are looking for more seafood and more domestic seafood,” said Bubba Cochrane, president of the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance, an industry trade group based in Galveston, Texas.
June 24, 2021 — Local commercial fishermen and others may access a regularly updated list of federal fishing regulations through a new app.
The South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council, an interstate fishery management agency with jurisdiction in the federal waters off of the south Atlantic states, including North Carolina, announced May 25 federal commercial fishing regulations in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic are now available on the free Fish Rules Commercial mobile app.
June 4, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
Key Message:
NOAA Fisheries is working to improve the quality of information available for the Gulf of Mexico shrimp fishery. This bulletin provides federal shrimp permit holders with an overview of the new changes occurring with the Cellular Electronic Logbook Program.
Having appropriate and current data enables the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and NOAA Fisheries to carry out responsive and timely fisheries management. Since the implementation of the shrimp permit moratorium in 2007, NOAA Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center continues the required data collections through fishing regulations.
What is New to the Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Permit (SPGM) Cellular Electronic Logbook (cELB) Program:
While NOAA Fisheries explores options for the replacement of the current 3G units, we will continue to send, and ask you to install replacement SD cards. The swap of SD cards allows the permit holder the ability to comply with the SPGM reporting requirement associated with this program. The information collected from the SD card returned to NOAA Fisheries will allow us to determine whether your unit is working properly or if you may need a new antenna or unit.
Thank you for your past and future cooperation with these data collection efforts. The information is critical for more responsive and timely management of the fishery. All individual information provided is confidential. These data collections are mandated by the final rule to implement actions in Amendment 13 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico
May 25, 2021 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
Federal commercial fishing regulations in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic are now available on the free Fish Rules Commercial mobile app. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council have partnered with Fish Rules, LLC to create an app to host up-to-date, accurate commercial regulations. Now available for free in both the Apple Store and Google Play Store, this mobile application is ready for download immediately.
The app populates with regulations and updates associated with each federal permit that is relevant to you. The app hosts species specific information including the amount of quota harvested, trip limits, and size limits. The app also hosts information on permit conditions and managed areas.
It’s also important to know that the app will function dockside and offshore when you’re out of cellular range.
Up until now, federal commercial fishing regulations have been hosted in the additional information section of the recreational Fish Rules App. Now that the Fish Rules Commercial App is available, those commercial regulations will be removed from the recreational app. We encourage you to transition to the Fish Rules Commercial App where you’ll find much more information relevant to commercial fishing.
We want to ensure that the Fish Rules Commercial App is as accurate, helpful, and user-friendly as possible. Don’t hesitate to contact us directly with questions, comments, and/or suggestions:
South Atlantic Council Contact:
Gulf Council Contact:
April 21, 2021 — The Great Red Snapper Count has concluded and the population of snapper in the Gulf is now estimated to be three times larger than previous studies suggested.
As a result, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council has issued new guidance for the 2021 Red Snapper season. The overfishing limit has been set at 25.6 million pounds, while the acceptable biological catch, or ABC, has been set at 15.4 million pounds. As far as the ABC is concerned, this is a 300,000 pound increase, although frankly that just won’t trickle down to the charter industry.
“The 300,000 isn’t very much,” said Captain Bob Zales, president of the National Association of Charterboat Operators. “I mean it sounds like a lot, but in the overall scheme it just isn’t very much. On the commercial side, they get 51% of the increase so they’ll get around a 160,000 pound increase, which will be another trip or two for most of the commercial guys. For the charter sector, our percentage of the other 49% is the least amount.”
According to Zales, the charter increase won’t even equate to a single extra day of the Red Snapper season, at least for this year. More information will be submitted to the Scientific and Statistical Committee later this summer.
April 19, 2021 — The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, known as the “Gulf Council,” is promising a similar red snapper season to last year’s. As always, the catch will be limited.
The season for commercial anglers or charter boats has been set for June 1 through August 3. Private anglers will find out exact dates for a season early next week.
Ever since Alabama was given the authority to manage and set limits in its own waters three years ago, the promise has been to ensure private anglers have access to what is known to be an abundant resource of red snapper.
“For the 2021 season, we are going to fish to about the level that we have fished for about the last two years. Around a million pounds,” said Scott Bannon, Director of Alabama’s Marine Resource Division. Bannon says unfortunately how much you can bring home isn’t going to change from last year. Even as studies show there could be three times as many red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico now compared to previous estimates.
April 16, 2021 — The following was released by The Office of Congressman Garret Graves (R-LA):
Congressman Garret Graves (R-South Louisiana) released the following statement today following the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s decision to delay implementing calibration of Gulf State’s allocation of red snapper until January 2023:
“The Gulf Council decision today is absolutely the right one and shows that they realize that it would be virtually impossible to explain to the public how in the world you could have the assessment that just came out – the latest assessment using the best science – showing that there is triple the Red Snapper in the Gulf of Mexico, then in the same breath go and cut the amount of fishing days available to our recreational fishers. I’m glad that they listened to the message of our letter urging them toward this correct and defendable resource management decision.”
Background:
In March, Congressman Graves sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, the NOAA Fisheries Acting Regional Administrator, and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council to avoid an unnecessary recalibration. Read the letter.