| 2/12/08 New Red Snapper Regs Passed in Gulf State Waters Following federal changes, the FWC passed new management rules for red snapper in state waters. Red snapper recreational bag limits dropped from four fish to two fish per person, as the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) agreed to conform with new federal regulations on Tuesday. A zero daily bag limit of red snapper for captains and crew of for-hire vessels is also now in place for Florida Gulf waters. New commercial regulations in state waters include a minimum-size reduction for red snapper from 15 to 13 inches "Today’s action will help to improve Gulf red snapper populations while maintaining the sportfishing season that benefits several North Florida fishing communities," said FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto. The FWC also approved new rules that require all commercial and recreational anglers fishing for any Gulf reef fish species to use circle hooks, dehooking devices and venting tools. Non-stainless steel circle hooks must be used to catch any Gulf reef fish with natural bait. The dehooking device should be "constructed to allow the hook to be secured and the barb shielded without re-engaging during the removal process." Venting tools are to be "a sharpened, hollow instrument—such as a hypodermic syringe with the plunger removed or a 16-gauge needle fixed to a hollow wooden dowel." Knives and ice picks may not be used. Be sure the design of your tool of choice conforms to state and federal guidelines.
FWC’s new red snapper rules take effect on April 1 in time for
the April 15 through Oct. 31 Gulf recreational red snapper
harvest season in state waters. The rules requiring circle
hooks, dehooking devices and venting tools for all reef fish
species take effect on June 1. Note, too, that
June 1 is now the
official opening day for recreational red snapper in federal
waters of the Gulf
of Mexico,
beyond nine miles from shore.
Only state
waters will open April 15.
2/11/08 "Islands in the Stream" Draft Meets Resistance A federal "concept paper," following in the footsteps of the Papahânaumokuâkea protected areas off Hawaii, could force fishermen out of prime fishing areas in the Gulf. The proposal derives its name from a series of potential, yet-to-be-chosen "island" Marine Protected Areas (MPA) scattered throughout the Loop Current. Some of the areas suggested include Flower Garden Banks NMS, NW Gulf Reefs and Banks, Madison Swanson, Florida Middle Grounds, Steamboat Lumps, Pulley Ridge and Florida Keys NMS. This discussion paper by the National Ocean Service has recently been circling through federal agencies. Read it: www.thefra.org/GoMex_discussion_Nov_21_07.pdfAt a recent Gulf Council meeting, an employee of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Sanctuaries Program wrongly indicated that the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) supported the proposal. The ASA has talked with NOAA on the subject, and spoke with the President’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) as well, but issued a release declining support for Islands in the Stream. "ASA does not intend to support any proposal that will diminish recreational fishing opportunity in the Gulf of Mexico—or any other location—and will firmly oppose any proposal that does so." The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council sent a letter to the Department of Commerce "concerned about the process used to develop these proposed MPAs, and the lack of public involvement during their development."
The MPA Federal Advisory Committee (FAC) echoed similar concerns
to involve the public and follow the proper procedure. "The
recommendations developed by the MPA FAC to promote a national
system of MPAs stress the need for a logical, public process. We
believe that the specific proposal for the Gulf of Mexico, as
well as the development of a national system of MPAs in general,
will be weakened if these guidelines are not followed."
3/16/07 Red Snapper Reprieve Judge rules a violation of Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Red snapper may have finally found somewhere to hide from unrelenting Gulf of Mexico shrimp trawlers. U.S. District Court. By its continuing failure to arrive at an effective plan to rebuild red snapper stocks and unwillingness to regulate the detrimental effects of shrimp harvesters, the Department of Commerce, through the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), violated the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, according to a ruling by U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon.
Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) was lead plaintiff in the
lawsuit challenging the NMFS 2005 red snapper rebuilding plan.
CCA Chairman Walter Fondren III commented, "The judge’s ruling
affirms CCA’s long-standing position: To manage red snapper
stocks, NMFS must take into account the devastation caused by
shrimp trawl bycatch." Harmon ordered that NMFS issue a rule by
December 12, 2007, that will provide for the rebuilding of
snapper stocks by no later than 2032, and must adopt measures to
minimize the number of red snapper juveniles killed by the
shrimp industry. Researchers put the percentage of Gulf red
snapper currently destroyed as trawler bycatch at approximately
80 percent.
12/12/06 Magnuson-Stevens Act Re-Authorized Some recreational fishing leaders praise potential reforms On Friday, Congress re-authorized the Magnuson-Stevens Sustainable Fisheries Management Act, which was first authorized in 1997. Good news for anglers, the bill requires the federal Fishery Management Councils to recognize the $31 billion economic contribution of sportfishing when setting allocations. The bill also places limits on the creation of no-fishing zones, requiring that they be based on sound science and that a review process be set to determine when and if they are no longer needed. Other measures include: a time frame to end overfishing; new requirements for reducing bycatch; and provisions for buyouts of overcapitalized commercial fleets. The bill also contains extensive provisions on individual fishing quotas to professionalize commercial fleets, and strengthen enforcement to fight illegal international fishing. Finally, key essential fish habitat conservation provisions were preserved.
As Congress began to debate Magnuson re-authorization, the
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) built a
marine conservation working group that was joined by the Coastal
Conservation Association (CCA), Environmental Defense, the
American Sportfishing Association, the Berkley Conservation
Institute, the Izaak Walton League of America, and the
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
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