http://www.floridatoday.com/article/201 ... +permanent
Red snapper ban may become permanent
Moderators: bman, Tom Keels, Chalk
Red snapper ban may become permanent
Barry Bevis, Realtor and Owner of BigBendFishing.net
I liked it so much, I bought the company
http://www.bevisrealty.com
TEAM "Duck Season!"
I liked it so much, I bought the company
http://www.bevisrealty.com
TEAM "Duck Season!"
Re: Red snapper ban may become permanent
Junk science leads to junk results. Lets pray this does not come to pass.
_________________________________________________________________________
Team Jealous of Everybody Else's Fishing Time.
Team Jealous of Everybody Else's Fishing Time.
Re: Red snapper ban may become permanent
Done deal in the Atlantic!
Red snapper ban and closure approved by SAFMC
Recreational and commercial fishermen were dealt a huge blow by federal fishery managers Wednesday as the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council recommended closing nearly 5,000 square miles of fishing grounds to all forms of bottom fishing. The vote took place in Orlando during the Council's quarterly meeting.
The measure was made necessary in order to protect red snapper from being targeted by anglers or being caught as bycatch by anglers fishing for other snapper grouper species. According to studies by federal fishery scientists, red snapper do not have a good release mortality and often die after being caught, reeled up from over 100 feet of depth, and then released.
The move was criticized by many who claim the closure will shut down party boat and charter boat businesses, and hurt other businesses that depend on recreational fishing in coastal economies, already on their last legs due to a lagging economy. They also maintain the red snapper fishing has never been better and has been getting better for the past decade or more.
Environmental groups praised the decision saying the move was the only way red snapper stocks could be rebuilt in South Atlantic waters. The vote was needed, they say, due to wording in the Magnuson-Stevens Act reauthorized in 2007, that states any fishery defined as overfished or experiencing overfishing must receive measures to stop it and rebuild the stocks.
Currently, the fishery is already under a moratorium for no harvest in all South Atlantic waters that was enacted January 4 and will continue until Dec. 5.
A new red snapper stock assessment should be finished in December, and the Council could then make adjustments to the long-term plan based on the results. It will take several months for the long term plan to take effect because it now must be reviewed by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.
“The South Atlantic Council deserves credit for taking a significant step toward putting red snapper on the road to recovery," said Holly Binns, manager of the Pew Environment Group’s Campaign to End Overfishing in the Southeast. "The red snapper fishing moratorium and closed ocean area are essential for a species that has plummeted to just 3 percent of healthy population levels and has been fished at unsustainable rates for more than 40 years.
“We understand this is a difficult time for some fishermen now, but this plan will help secure future fishing opportunities and a healthy ocean ecosystem that benefit tourism and all of our coastal communities.
“Our hope is that red snapper rebound rapidly and that sustainable fishing can resume when the species has made good progress towards full recovery.”
The Environmental Defense Fund was not as accepting of the new rules as being the way to solve the red snapper problem. The organization backs the belief that catch share management is the best option for the commercial and for-hire (charter and party boats) sectors of the snapper and grouper fishery. Catch shares could potentially replace 17A’s closures with fishing seasons and reduce closed areas while fish populations rebuild. Private anglers deserve an opportunity to catch red snapper too, and fishermen and the Council have an opportunity to improve the management by exploring new tools like a tagging program.
The EDF stated in a press release that "Growing numbers of Southeast fishermen agree that catch shares are the best way forward."
Many anglers do not agree.
"Catch shares will be good for the big time commercial fishermen, but will hurt the part time commercial fisherman," said Robert Russell of Martin County.
Dave Heil of the Recreational Fishing Alliance based in Orlando blasted the vote.
"The SAFMC has ignored their sworn duty to follow the law and passed this unwarranted regulation," he said in an email Wednesday. "They based this regulation on SEDAR 15 which has been "thrown in the trash" and is being replaced by SEDAR 24 coming out this fall. It was totally irresponsible for the SAFMC to request this regulation when they clearly knew that it was based on bad science. Our calls for the council to wait until the new data was available fell on deaf ears."
Heil also said Governor Crist through his representative for the State of Florida on the council has voted to put thousands of Floridians working in the marine and fisheries industries out of work.
"It is irresponsible of Governor Crist to put so many Floridians out of work based on known bad information in the present economy." Heil said.
He said the Recreational Fishing Alliance will continue to fight this matter in the courts until "this baseless regulation is overturned."
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Red snapper ban and closure approved by SAFMC
Recreational and commercial fishermen were dealt a huge blow by federal fishery managers Wednesday as the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council recommended closing nearly 5,000 square miles of fishing grounds to all forms of bottom fishing. The vote took place in Orlando during the Council's quarterly meeting.
The measure was made necessary in order to protect red snapper from being targeted by anglers or being caught as bycatch by anglers fishing for other snapper grouper species. According to studies by federal fishery scientists, red snapper do not have a good release mortality and often die after being caught, reeled up from over 100 feet of depth, and then released.
The move was criticized by many who claim the closure will shut down party boat and charter boat businesses, and hurt other businesses that depend on recreational fishing in coastal economies, already on their last legs due to a lagging economy. They also maintain the red snapper fishing has never been better and has been getting better for the past decade or more.
Environmental groups praised the decision saying the move was the only way red snapper stocks could be rebuilt in South Atlantic waters. The vote was needed, they say, due to wording in the Magnuson-Stevens Act reauthorized in 2007, that states any fishery defined as overfished or experiencing overfishing must receive measures to stop it and rebuild the stocks.
Currently, the fishery is already under a moratorium for no harvest in all South Atlantic waters that was enacted January 4 and will continue until Dec. 5.
A new red snapper stock assessment should be finished in December, and the Council could then make adjustments to the long-term plan based on the results. It will take several months for the long term plan to take effect because it now must be reviewed by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.
“The South Atlantic Council deserves credit for taking a significant step toward putting red snapper on the road to recovery," said Holly Binns, manager of the Pew Environment Group’s Campaign to End Overfishing in the Southeast. "The red snapper fishing moratorium and closed ocean area are essential for a species that has plummeted to just 3 percent of healthy population levels and has been fished at unsustainable rates for more than 40 years.
“We understand this is a difficult time for some fishermen now, but this plan will help secure future fishing opportunities and a healthy ocean ecosystem that benefit tourism and all of our coastal communities.
“Our hope is that red snapper rebound rapidly and that sustainable fishing can resume when the species has made good progress towards full recovery.”
The Environmental Defense Fund was not as accepting of the new rules as being the way to solve the red snapper problem. The organization backs the belief that catch share management is the best option for the commercial and for-hire (charter and party boats) sectors of the snapper and grouper fishery. Catch shares could potentially replace 17A’s closures with fishing seasons and reduce closed areas while fish populations rebuild. Private anglers deserve an opportunity to catch red snapper too, and fishermen and the Council have an opportunity to improve the management by exploring new tools like a tagging program.
The EDF stated in a press release that "Growing numbers of Southeast fishermen agree that catch shares are the best way forward."
Many anglers do not agree.
"Catch shares will be good for the big time commercial fishermen, but will hurt the part time commercial fisherman," said Robert Russell of Martin County.
Dave Heil of the Recreational Fishing Alliance based in Orlando blasted the vote.
"The SAFMC has ignored their sworn duty to follow the law and passed this unwarranted regulation," he said in an email Wednesday. "They based this regulation on SEDAR 15 which has been "thrown in the trash" and is being replaced by SEDAR 24 coming out this fall. It was totally irresponsible for the SAFMC to request this regulation when they clearly knew that it was based on bad science. Our calls for the council to wait until the new data was available fell on deaf ears."
Heil also said Governor Crist through his representative for the State of Florida on the council has voted to put thousands of Floridians working in the marine and fisheries industries out of work.
"It is irresponsible of Governor Crist to put so many Floridians out of work based on known bad information in the present economy." Heil said.
He said the Recreational Fishing Alliance will continue to fight this matter in the courts until "this baseless regulation is overturned."
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robbankston
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Re: Red snapper ban may become permanent
This is a bunch of BS. Freakin idiots!
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council also plans to ban commercial and recreational fishing for all 73 managed snapper and grouper species, including common fish such as sheepshead. They don't want people fishing for those accidentally catching and killing red snapper.
This world is becoming all about how one man can control another man. This crap ticks me off.
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council also plans to ban commercial and recreational fishing for all 73 managed snapper and grouper species, including common fish such as sheepshead. They don't want people fishing for those accidentally catching and killing red snapper.
This world is becoming all about how one man can control another man. This crap ticks me off.
A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week. -George S. Patton