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FWC Commission Gulf red snapper fishery update

At its February meeting in Gainesville, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) set the popular and economically important 2019 Gulf red snapper recreational season to open June 11 through July 12, with a possible fall reopening if quota is available.
This season will apply to those fishing from private recreational vessels in state and federal waters and to charter vessels that do not have a federal reef fish permit and are limited to fishing in state waters only.
For more information, view the presentation given at the Commission meeting found at MyFWC.com/Commission by clicking on “Commission Meetings” and the agenda under “February 20-21.”
For those interested in participating in this year’s Gulf red snapper season, don’t forget that anglers fishing from private vessels must get the Gulf Reef Fish Angler designation on their license. For-hire operations that do not have a federal reef fish permit and are limited to state waters only for red snapper fishing must get the State Gulf Reef Fish Charter designation on their license. Learn more about these programs and how to obtain these designations at MyFWC.com/Marine by clicking on “Recreational Regulations,” “Reef Fish” and “Gulf Reef Fish Survey.”
Share your real-time catch data with us by downloading and using the iAngler Gulf Red Snapper app for private anglers or the iAngler Gulf Red Snapper Charter app if you are a charter operation.

One month for recreational anglers is not nearly enough. Take out work time and foul weather and you get almost nothing. Meanwhile, the snapper are stacked up off our coast. This is a horribly mismanaged resource.

- Steve Stinson

What a joke.

We are from the government and we are here to help you!

I don't disagree with the sentiments but 30 days is better than 6 days like we had a couple of years back. Maybe the recent legislative/administrative changes will reflect more opportunity in the near future. One thing for certain if snapper season is open the wind she'll be a blowin

zload wrote:I don't disagree with the sentiments but 30 days is better than 6 days like we had a couple of years back.

I agree! Heck, I'm excited about 30 days.

I was able to get out 3 times last year to try and catch my limit of RS. First time we were done in 30min (6 RS), 2nd time took 2 hours but we were picky and had fun culling our 6RS. The 3rd time we did not limit out and caught a lot of shorts. Went out one fine/flat day this past October with a very good fisherman in his fine 30ft center console and I stopped counting at 35 RS! Not to mention we caught a lot of Rock bass, lane snapper, gray snapper, 2 nice AJ's, and not one legal grouper. What I find frustrating is that my boat did not catch one legal grouper last year and I think the FWC has got it backwards. The damn grouper should be endangered species!

We had a really slow gag year this year also, and so have most of my friends. We have caught huge snapper all year, I’ve never seen them this shallow, plentiful and big. I’m guessing it isn’t a coincidence. I love plenty of snapper, but I like a consistent gag fishery also.