April 19, 2018 — After more than two decades of seeing opportunities to catch and retain red snapper from federally controlled waters of the Gulf of Mexico increasingly restricted even as the popular reef fishes’ once-struggling population soared, Texas’ long-suffering offshore recreational anglers this week saw that pendulum swing slightly but significantly the other direction.

In the wake of Monday’s federal approval of a two-year experimental program granting states bordering the Gulf of Mexico partial authority for managing and monitoring harvest of red snapper waters off their coasts, Texas fisheries officials announced they project an 82-day season during which anglers who fish from privately owned vessels will be able to take their two-fish daily limit of snapper from federally controlled waters.

That 82-day season, set to open June 1, is almost double 2017’s 43-day federal-water season for private-boat anglers, nearly eight times 2016’s 11-day season and the longest since a 194-day season in 2007.

“We believe this is a positive move that will benefit our anglers with more opportunity, benefit the resource and allow us to demonstrate that the states can very effectively manage this fishery,” Lance Robinson, deputy director of coastal fisheries for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, said of the two-year shift to each state setting snapper season lengths and dates for private-boat anglers. Previously, federal officials set a single season length and dates for the entire Gulf under federal authority.

Read the full story at the Houston Chronicle