Saving Seafood

Fishermen react to extended red snapper season

June 15, 2017 — Wesley Heimen has been fishing for over 20 years.

The El Campo native woke up to good news Thursday morning that will make his fishing trips in the summer more pleasant.

The agreement between Texas, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana and the U.S. Department of Commerce will allow recreational anglers to fish for red snapper in federal and state waters for 39 weekend days beginning Friday and running through Labor Day, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

“I found out in the morning from a friend, and I was really excited,” said the 40-year-old. “It’s great that we get the opportunity to fish more in the summer now.”

Fishermen are allowed to fish Friday, Saturday and Sunday with additional open days on July 3, July 4 and Sept. 4.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s old regulation allowed fishing for red snapper for three days from June 1 to June 3.

“We only got three days in the summer session, and now we have 39 weekend days,” Heimen said. “I’m excited for the kids because the red snapper fight hard and they can get some experience catching that type of fish.”

Texas Parks and Wildlife allows fishermen four red snappers in state waters. In federal waters, the NOAA allows two red snappers.

Read the full story at the Victoria Advocate

Red Snapper season extended by 39 days

June 14, 2017 — Red snapper season in state and federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico will reopen Friday and extend through Labor Day with certain restrictions, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced Wednesday.

The  39-day extension will allow Texas anglers, along with anglers in other gulf states, on private boats to catch red snapper each Friday, Saturday and Sunday during this period. Plus the season will remain open July 3-4 and Sept. 4.

This means anglers may target snapper out to 200 miles from shore during an extra 39 days this summer. In exchange, Texas state waters, which extend out nine nautical miles, will be closed to snapper fishing Monday through Thursday during the extension.

This extension will have no immediate effect on anglers fishing from charter vessels and party boats. Their season began June 1 and runs through July 19, but only in federal waters.

Previously, the summer snapper season for private anglers in federal waters ran from June 1-3 for all gulf states. Texas has a year-round snapper season in state waters, while other gulf states have shorter state seasons.

Anglers on charter vessels and party boats throughout the gulf are not allowed to fish in state waters except during the federal season.

These restrictions are meant to curb overfishing of red snapper, according to federal fisheries managers, which have imposed ever-shortening seasons. The red snapper population is on the rebound, but not fully recovered, according to federal fisheries managers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The size and bag limit for red snapper during the extended federal season will remain the same at two fish that measure at least 16 inches.

Texas rules allow anglers in state waters to keep four fish daily that measure at least 15 inches.The Texas state season will resume after Labor Day.

Florida and Alabama fisheries managers have agreed to forego their fall state-water seasons. Louisiana and Mississippi have agreed to review their fall seasons and may decide to not to reopen their state waters in the fall, according to the Department of Commerce.

Red Snapper Season Could Re-Open Next Week For Private Anglers

June 10, 2017 — An announcement to re-open red snapper season to recreational anglers is expected next week.

“Their voice has been heard all the way to Washington and all the way to the Whitehouse,” says Jeff Boyd, Orange Beach city councilman. “It’s a win.”

If all five Gulf states agree, starting June 17th state and federal waters will be open every Saturday and Sunday for the rest of the summer through Labor Day. “I think it’s a great idea not only for the recreational fisherman but for the charter guys,” says angler Bobby Mason.

The weekends would include July 3rd and 4th and Labor Day. But, there is a catch. The states would have to agree to close their state season on weekdays.

All this in response to the shortest red snapper season in history for private boats. According to federal regulators, there are not enough red snapper to support a season longer than three days. Mason disagrees, “They’re almost an invasive species now. They’re taking over. You go and try to catch grouper and other fish all you get is snapper.”

But it’s not just about fishing. For the city of Orange Beach, Baldwin County and the state of Alabama, it’s about dollars and cents. “This is a revenue impact that is super important to our entire state,” says Boyd.

A multi-billion dollar industry for the city of Orange Beach with a large percentage of those tax dollars heading straight to Montgomery.

Read the full story at WKRG

Texas proposes to extend snapper fishing season

June 9, 2017 — Texas Parks & Wildlife officials, along with officials with other gulf states, and federal fisheries managers are negotiating the possibility of extending the private recreational snapper season.

Department officials are asking for public input during a series of meetings scheduled for Corpus Christi, Galveston and Port Isabel.

One proposal would allow weekend-only snapper fishing in federal waters starting in late June and extending through August. Another plan would allow the season to remain open July 3-4, which fall on a Monday and Tuesday.

Another option would be a 39-day weekend-only season from June 17 into September, with Fridays included.

None of these proposals would affect the recreational season for anglers who fish from charter and party boats. That season, which is underway, runs through July 19.

The trade off would change when anglers in Texas and other gulf states would be allowed to catch snapper in state waters, within nine nautical miles of shore. If adopted, the proposal calls for all state-water seasons to shut down during weekdays throughout summer and possibly into the fall.

This also might eliminate the 2018 federal snapper season. The 2107 season lasted three days, the shortest ever.

Read the full story at the Corpus Christi Caller Times

Red snapper season could be extended starting next week

June 9, 2017 — A decision on extending the federal red snapper season for recreational anglers could come as early as Tuesday or Wednesday, said the acting commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Chris Blankenship, who was appointed to the acting commissioner’s role last week and who has been involved in negotiations to extend the season with federal authorities, said Thursday that he feels an agreement is “very close” in extending the federal recreational season to Labor Day weekend.

The agreement would have to be approved by the five Gulf states – Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas – and the U.S. Department of Commerce, which oversees the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA, through National Marine Fisheries Service, is charged with managing fisheries in federal waters.

“We are working out the details in each of our own states,” said Blankenship.

Read the full story at AL.com

Officials negotiating extending 2017 Red Snapper season

June 7, 2017 — CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Fisheries directors from Texas and four other gulf states have been meeting with federal decision makers to decide whether or not to extend the 2017 red snapper fishing season for recreational anglers, which began June 1 and ended June 3. It lasted three days.

If extended, the longer federal season would open up more weekends this summer for recreational fishermen to pursue red snapper in the deeper, often more plentiful federal waters – which begin nine miles from the shoreline. On the other hand, it may also threaten year-round access to fishing for red snapper in state waters off Texas.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration allotted only three days this year for recreational anglers to fish in federal waters within the Gulf of Mexico. According to Captain Scott Hickman, who operates a charter boat in the Texas gulf, the short season is the result of high harvesting in Florida, which impacts the regulations placed on anglers in other states.

Read the full story at KRIS-TV

GOP lawmakers to Trump administration: Fix red snapper season

May 16, 2017 — Five southern Republican lawmakers are calling on U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to extend the number of days for this year’s recreational red snapper season.

Among those signing a letter sent to Ross on Monday is U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne, R-Fairhope, who calls the current three-day recreational season as “simply not acceptable.”

The season is scheduled to run from June 1-3. It makes it the shortest recreational season ever for red snapper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico’s federal waters.

“Anyone who knows anything about Gulf Coast fisheries would agree that the red snapper fishery is incredibly healthy,” Byrne said.

The letter was signed by Byrne and fellow U.S. House members – John Carter and Randy Weber of Texas, Garret Graves of Louisiana and Steven Palazzo of Mississippi.

“We feel re-evaluating your agency’s decision for the 2017 seasons is warranted, and we urge you to continue working with us to develop a long-term solution to address these issues impacting our recreational fishermen and coastal communities,” the letter states.

Read the full story at AL.com

Gulf shrimp season ends Monday

May 11, 2016 — The Gulf of Mexico commercial shrimp season for both Texas and federal waters ends 30 minutes after sunset Monday, May 15.

The closure happens every year and typically will go until July 15, although the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department have discretion in setting the reopening date based on sound biological data.

The data includes mean lengths of the shrimp and percent of shrimp in samples caught using a bag seine as well as ebb tidal flow.

The Texas closure applies to Gulf waters from the coast out 9 nautical miles.

The National Marine Fisheries Service has announced federal waters out to 200 nautical miles also will be closed to shrimping to conform to the Texas closure.

This year, officials hope the closure will give brown shrimp, which dominate the spring season, time to grow to 112 millimeters in length.

They were measured at 55 millimeters in length in April, said Mark Fisher, science director at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

The average catch this season was 1,235 shrimp per hectare. One hectare is 2.47 acres. This is below the 20-year average of 1,319 shrimp per hectare.

Fisher said shrimp are less valuable today than they were 20 years ago.

“Shrimp prices are low because the market is dominated by imported, farm-raised shrimp.

Read the full article at the Victoria Advocate 

Pilot program would give Louisiana control of red snapper stocks for three years

May 8, 2017 — The head of the Fisheries Division of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries on Thursday told the board that regulates his agency he’s optimistic Louisiana may get to manage red snapper in federal waters off the state’s coast in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Patrick Banks updated the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission about a proposal he made to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council that would establish a pilot program allowing Louisiana to manage red-snapper stocks in both state and federal waters off its coast for three years. By an 11 to 5 vote, the council approved the proposal, which gives Louisiana the go-ahead to flesh it out into an actual amendment that would ultimately need to be approved by the advisory panel.

“It’s not everything we want, but it’s certainly a better ride than what we’ve got right now,” Banks told the commission.

Details of the plan must still be worked out, and Banks said it’s possible the council will alter the ultimate amendment so much it will look nothing like what’s originally proposed. But his intention is to allow Louisiana to set seasons and regulations out to 200 nautical miles off the coast during the three years of the pilot program to demonstrate how regional management might work.

Banks cautioned, however, that wouldn’t mean a 365-day season with high daily limits.

Under the proposal, state anglers would get access to Louisiana’s historical catch, which is 15.8 percent of the total Gulf recreational red snapper quota. Based on current numbers, that would be about 1.1 million pounds of red snapper.

Since more waters would be open to anglers from the Texas to Mississippi state lines, Louisiana’s share of the quota would be much more quickly reached than under the current management regimen. In 2016, the federal season was only 11 days, but state waters were open to red snapper harvest for nearly nine months.

Read the full story at the Times-Picayune

3-Day Red Snapper Season for Anglers in Gulf’s US Waters

May 3, 2017 — Private recreational anglers went 25 percent over last year’s quota for red snapper , and will have only three days to fish federal waters this year for one of the Gulf of Mexico’s most popular sport and table fish, federal regulators said Tuesday.

Charter boat captains will have a 49-day season. Both seasons will start June 1.

“It’s a disappointment to me to that we have made such gains in rebuilding this stock but the season’s going to be this short,” said Roy Crabtree, regional fisheries administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

A big reason, he said, is that private anglers are expected to take 81 percent of their 3 million-pound (1.3-million kilogram) quota out of state waters, where seasons range from 66 days off Alabama to year-round off Texas.

 That leaves little to be caught farther offshore in federal waters — and GPS units, electronic fish finders and other advancements have made anglers far more efficient than they used to be, Crabtree said.

State officials and politicians say the 3-day season just proves states should regulate the species.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at U.S. News