Quote:
Originally Posted by Reel Screamers
Meaux, you are correct but with the increased weights as the snapper grow, if we do not separate and the quota stays the same, we will likely only have that same 6 day season unless the stock assessment gives us an increase. The math does not change, just the rhetoric. Don't forget you have 365, it is only the CFH that has the decreased season.
Last year they used a little over a 7 pound average. I can assure you that I brought back nothing under 12 pounds unless a storm was running me in. This year look for the average weight to be even larger. As you work the numbers one of the things that you have to realize is that the boats on our coast for the most part do run 8 to 12 hour trips but when you consider the Gulf as a whole, most of the charter boats from Alabama, east are what I call "tourist" boats, they run 4 to 6 hour tours with full boats and they run up to 3 trips a day. That is where it appears that the CFH number becomes inflated. Remember, even though the data is bad, they do have separate counts on the charter boats as we get weekly calls on our trips. So the numbers are somewhere near accurate providing the captain gave accurate trip counts.
Im going from memory here and I'm old but I seem to recall that the last number that I heard is that Louisiana is recorded as harvesting somewhere around 14% of the snapper in the Rec sector. Seems low but it is because of our business model where we typically run one trip a day.
I should have learned my lesson and not left the meeting early because I am understanding that one of the representatives from Alabama offered an amendment to begin the "framework" to reduce the snapper catch to 1 per person. What BS.
This is why I say from a business standpoint, we have to explore SS until we can get our politicians off their *** to fix this. What Johnnie Green did can only make sense if you apply it to a "tourist" model in an area where they do not have **** to catch to start with and can only be an attempt to extend whatever season we get further so they can get more "tourist" trips. I know that I sound like I am talking out of both sides of my mouth but Regional Management is the only way to go. I will personally look forward to some stability even if it is in the form of SS until such time we can get Regional Management.
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If I lived on the east side I would be more apt to take advantage of the 365 days, but it takes me about 3.5hrs to get to GI and 4 to get to Venice, so between weather, distance, and the fact I run a 24ft bay boat I probably only snapper fish 3-5 times a year anyway. When I go offshore with friends we generally go straight for the pelagics. I do agree regional management is the only way to go, I just wish there was somebody with enough money/power to convince those yahoos on the council that.