Red Snapper Season cut even shorter

[capt_dalton]

From an email from a Gulf Council Representative:

It's official. Roy Crabtree just called me and they have sent the interim rule to the Federal Register for publication today. The NEW red snapper season in federal waters will be June 1-August 5 for this year. Next years (2009) season is still set at June 1-September 30, however that could change depending on what happens with effort and landings this year. Roy will be emailing me the analysis to support this season some time today and I will forward to all of you when I receive it.
Bobbi

Well, there ya have it. The federal government via the National Marine Fisheries Service, or more precisely, Mr. Roy Crabtree's personal agenda, has just given the stock of Gulf of Mexico red snapper to the commercial sector.

The commercials have the whole year to fish anytime they care to. They can catch any amount of fish they care to up to their "quota".

Something reeks of inequality here. The recreational sector gets June 1st to August 5th to catch their "quota". Now, excuse me, but, does the all knowing Mr. Roy Crabtree know something about the weather that I do not? Has he just created a hurricane free summer with fair seas and good weather to ensure we are able to fish those alloted days? Has he seen to it that the bookings will be filled during those days as well for the charter boats?

It is far past time for congressional action here.

[capthoop]

I think it is unfair that we as charter captains are considered in with the recreational allotment. I always thought a charter boat was a commercial entity. Going from all year down to 6 months hurt some. Now down to 2 months puts more out of business. Further more we have to buy extra licenses besides the regular licenses required and we can not keep one fish for ourselves. When the limits were at 4 per person we were struggling. Last year at 2 per person minus the captain and crew our bookings fell as much as the limits. We were looking at a 4 month season and setting up other kinds of trips to maybe offset the severe cut but this is a stab in the heart.

The red snapper here are so thick we can not avoid getting them while fishing for other fish. Last saturday while trying to jig for grouper I got nothing but snapper. They all went back unharmed. I am a master at the fish flipper and vented if necessary. There are some days working a head boat I will unhook over 3 hundred fish. At one point I dropped the jig and just held it there. The snapper were attacking it with a vengance. 4 drops and hold, no jigging, 4 snapper all above keeper size and we were out of there and headed home.

The sience used to set these limits are way out of line. The recreational fisherman is being falsely represented. Some areas are having problems maintaining the stocks and others are being over run with the stocks. I wish they would look at the program as they did the redfish and striped bass. Those stocks have rebounded very well. Both have seperate state limits depending on the state of the stocks in that area. Many of those limits could also be upped as both stocks have rebounded very well.

Capt Hoop
Our Freedom

[bluffman2]

well there goes most of my season..........65 days of snapper season and of those i have 2 days a week = 16 days off while snapper season is in....out of 16 days i may get out 8-10 of those days due to weather or what have ya,10 days @ 2 fish for myself =20 fish means i can keep all my fish on ice while waiting to cook them.....WHAT DO WE HAVE TO DO to get these dumbazzes to realize there are more snapper out there than anyone knows what to do with.......Chris is there any petition or something that we can do to send to gulf council???

[capthoop]

Bluffman

Look at it this way!!!
65 days of fishing leaves 300 days that we are out of business. Not a way to feed the family.

[bluffman2]

Originally Posted by capthoop

Bluffman

Look at it this way!!!
65 days of fishing leaves 300 days that we are out of business. Not a way to feed the family.

Capthoop... in no way was i directing this at charter captains and i hope you didnt take it that way....we as recs,and you guys are in the same boat.....we both get less time to fish however i see your point as in that is your line of work and yes it does not look good for you guys as a snapper season........what will you guys do just try and make customers happy with other kinds of fish??


sorry if my comment was taken the wrong way!!

[capt_dalton]

I dunno Bluff, the capthoop up above sounds out of line more than you do. Apparently, he'd like to divide up what there is on the table even more. Sounds like a commercial plant to me or someone who has very little if any clue as to how things work.

Absolutely NO CAPTAIN that I run boats around wants to divide things up any further.

To be honest, to fight over allotment is not the way to go. What needs to be done is good scientific evidence be brought before someone who is not on the take to see that the stocks are not in the dire straights that the Southeast Fisheries Science Center paid scientists are promoting. Each and every one of their personal finances needs to be investigated for money filtering down from lobbyists. (Commercial, envirowacko, CCA, whatever). Oh yes, the wording on the shortened season is very clear about a lawsuit, (which CCA filed), as being a part of why we are facing a shortened season even though the season has not started nor a fish one been taken recreationally in Louisiana, Mississippi or Florida.

After some very enlightening conversations with highly regarded and noted scientists on the subject, today, the problem lies behind the walls of the building housing these myopic troglodytes.

Our enemy, commercial and recreational sector, is the Southeast Fisheries Science Center. Bring them to reality, and we have our fishing back.

[dawiggs]

Just curious.. What is the position of CCA in this snapper issue?

Regards,

[capt_dalton]

CCA took the NMFS to court last year over their management of the red snapper fishery. They contented that NMFS was not doing enough to ensure that quotas were managed. I believe it was CCA's intent to get more action on BRDs for shrimpers, but, what they got was NMFS cranking the screws down on the recreational community.

[capthoop]

Capt Dalton and Bluffman

I am in no way a commercial person. I was just trying to point out how many ways this fishery is flawed. We will and are targeting other fish but our customer base has been built up on Red snapper lovers. The commercials have a quota. All we have is 65 days. NMFS have admitted that our rec limit will only be 25% of our rec quota in 65 days. They have also stated the reason for the very short season instead of the 4 months as originally planned is because Fla. and Tx. allow state water fishing all season long so the NMFS has to compensate for that extra fishing. To this I say BS. They do not know what they are talking about.

Further more I have never seen anything they take away given back. Only in New England did the states of New York, Ct., and RI. get together and put striper limits together allowing more fish (only 2) same size and no slots.

Sorry if you misread into my original post.

What I meant by uping the limits is not for the La. area but in Fla. where the rec limit is 1 I believe for redfish. and nothing over 27". The redfish stocks have rebounded and the limits are still down for you.
.

[bluffman2]

Capthoop i wasnt saying you were commercial ...you are charter though right....if so we are in the same boat