WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) — August 13, 2015 — Dr. James Cowan, Professor at the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Studies at Louisiana State University (LSU), has written a letter to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council opposing the under-consideration Amendment 28 to the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan. Among other changes, Amendment 28 would transfer red snapper quota from the commercial fishery to the recreational fishery.

According to Dr. Cowan, “the notion that reallocation of red snapper from the commercial sector of the fishery to the recreational sector is a conservation measure is indefensible.” Instead, he notes that the key to maintaining a stable red snapper population is to ensure that there is a good year class every 5-7 years. He explains that one of the main problems currently facing the fishery is the lack of older fish, who produce more eggs and are thus more likely to contribute to producing new red snapper.

Dr. Cowan further criticizes the Amendment, noting that red snapper remains overfished, and that “raising [Annual Catch Limits], reallocation of more of the fishery to recreational sector, along with state management of the resource, will result in overfishing again within two to four years.” Given that current issues can be traced to a lack of older red snapper in the population, he notes, “there appears to be no justification” for reallocating quota to the recreational fishery. And because that fishery is more likely to target larger, older snapper, Dr. Cowan writes that, “I believe that the proposed reallocation will result in an increased risk of failure to reach the 2032 stock rebuilding target.”

Read the full letter from Dr. Cowan here