Summary: The Sportsmen’s Alliance urges the National Marine Fisheries Service to grant red snapper exemptions to four Southeastern states, a move that would replace restrictive federal day-limits with month-long seasons and improve fisheries data.
The Sportsmen’s Alliance recently submitted comments to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) asking to exempt Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina from federal regulations restricting the recreational harvest of red snapper in the South Atlantic. If accepted, anglers in these states would measure their red snapper season in months, not days as they have for several years. SAF fully supports NMFS’ conclusion that the applications warrant further review, and we’re urging NMFS to grant the exemptions.
How Will State Exemptions Affect Red Snapper Fishing Seasons?
For years, SAF has asked NMFS to recognize that the current snapper management structure is not working and that the red snapper stock in the South Atlantic is strong, growing, and available for recreational harvest at levels greatly above those established in recent years. Applications submitted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, and North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries will increase fishing opportunities for red snapper, provide a robust data set that will inform, and result in a real, positive management change for the red snapper fishery in the South Atlantic.
The Push for State-Led Red Snapper Management
“These applications have been submitted with the purpose of improving data on recreational fishing effort, catch, and discards of red snapper in the South Atlantic, and informing the development of a long-term state-led management strategy for the recreational red snapper fishery,” said Torin Miller, Associate Litigation Counsel at the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation. “A proven roadmap for successful red snapper management in the South Atlantic exists, and Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina have just handed it to NMFS.”
What are the Benefits of Expanded Federal Water Access?
If approved, recreational red snapper seasons in federal waters off the coasts of these states drastically increase, giving anglers more opportunity than they’ve had for the last 15 years. Approval would expand access for anglers in the South Atlantic, and it would also advance conservation outcomes, fisheries management, and angler safety. The expanded seasons would provide opportunities to create a robust dataset on the true health of the red snapper stock and recreational angling pressure across the region. This data would inform future management actions and result in durable outcomes. Similarly, the applications advance many fisheries management requirements established by the Magnuson Stevens Act – a federal law guiding marine fisheries management in U.S. federal waters. Finally, expanded seasons will disperse fishing pressure, creating safer boating conditions and allowing for more cautious, weather-based fishing decisions.
Improving Fishery Data Quality Through Local Oversight
Each state has provided thorough discussion and analysis of the data used in formulating the proposed projects, including, notably, the severe lack of data and the poor quality of the little data available. State agencies are well-situated to carry out the proposed projects in the respective EFP applications, and approval of the EFPs will result in four states that are even more prepared to take on additional red snapper management authority in adjacent federal waters.
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Issues like these are at the heart of the Sportsmen’s Alliance mission and we will continue to monitor this important issue. Don’t stand on the sidelines join us as a member or a donor of the Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund in protecting tomorrow’s hunting, fishing, and trapping heritage today.
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