Email from CCA today
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council announced earlier today the 2013 adjusted red snapper season for Louisiana and it appears that Bayou State anglers will see their snapper season cut from 27 days to just nine days in federal waters. The adjustment, announced by Roy Crabtree, regional administrator for NOAA Fisheries, is widely viewed as retaliation for the state’s plans to go out of compliance with federal snapper regulations in 2013.
The announcement is just the latest shock in federal management of red snapper. In the wake of ever-decreasing seasons contrasted against a booming red snapper population, confidence in federal fisheries management is at an all-time low. Louisiana and Florida, citing multiple flaws in federal management of red snapper, subsequently announced plans to join Texas in going out of compliance with federal regulations in state waters. In response, federal authorities acquired new powers to punish non-compliant states, setting the stage for today’s announcement of a nine-day season.
“CCA Louisiana believes that this adjustment to the Louisiana red snapper season is outrageous and based on arbitrary and faulty estimates of the potential increased efforts,” said David Cresson, executive director of CCA Louisiana. “By choosing to confront the states in this way, the federal government is signaling that it is not interested in seeking meaningful solutions to this abysmal situation and is instead content to focus on punitive measures.”
Earlier this year, fisheries managers from Louisiana presented a regional management plan that would allow individual states to manage fish stocks off their respective coasts. Though the plan was focused on flexibility and extensive data gathering and was supported by CCA and anglers across Louisiana and the Gulf, it was rejected by the Gulf Council. In response, Louisiana announced plans for a weekend-only red snapper season in state waters.
“State-based fishery management has engineered some of the greatest marine conservation victories in the country, such as red drum and speckled trout. Our own Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has earned a great deal of respect managing our wild resources, but the same cannot be said for NOAA Fisheries,” said Cresson. “Red snapper is no longer a conservation issue, it’s a management issue, and federal management is failing. We believe the states could do a far better job of ensuring not only the health of these fish stocks, but maximizing the ability of their citizens to access and enjoy them.”
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03-22-2013, 05:07 PM
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