Tag Archives: Red Snapper Fishery
COASTAL CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION v. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Several private anglers and the Coastal Conservation Association, a group representing private anglers (collectively, CCA), appeal the district court’s summary judgment dismissal of their lawsuit, which challenged Amendment 40 to the Reef Fish Fishery Management Plan and the Final Rule implementing that amendment. Because we find that Amendment 40 is consistent with its organic statute and was properly devised and implemented, we AFFIRM the judgment of the district court. This dispute centers on the management of the red snapper fishery in the Gulf of Mexico. Read the complaint here 09:28
Is Environmental Defense Fund Controlling Louisiana’s Department Of Wildlife And Fisheries?
By now our readers are surely familiar with the very strange behavior of Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries secretary Charlie Melancon with respect to his opposition to a bill brought by most of Louisiana’s congressional delegation that would put individual Gulf states, rather than the federal government, in control of the red snapper fishery in the Gulf of Mexico. If you’re not up to speed on Melancon’s antics and escalating feud with a key member of the delegation, Baton Rouge congressman Garret Graves, we offered a primer here. Most of the speculation you may have seen involves the idea that several of the larger commercial fishing concerns along the Gulf coast, who benefit from a crony-capitalist scheme wherein shares of the red snapper market have been allocated based on incumbency – the owners of those concerns have been given the moniker “Sea Lords” since the red snapper catch largely resembles a feudal system of sorts – have essentially bought Melancon and his opposition to the bill Graves is proposing is a product of that purchase. Graves’ idea to put the state in charge of the red snapper fishery would break up the current allocation scheme and put the Sea Lords out of commission in Louisiana, or at least make their incumbency a matter which would be up for grabs. Read the story here 08:10
Gulf officials argue for shift in managing Red Snapper fishery
Gulf Coast officials, joined by charter boat operators from Mississippi, are urging to pass legislation that would shift management of the red snapper fishery to states, saying they would do a much better job. “The fisheries management by the federal government is not a good one, especially as it relates to red snapper in the Gulf,’’ Robert Barham, secretary of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, told the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans. “We can do a better job.” “No way shape or form do we want the states to manage our commercial and charter fisheries for red snapper,’’ Buddy Guindon said. Read the rest here 09:31
Video – Louisiana anglers want control of red-snapper fishery, survey shows
This year for the first time, NOAA Fisheries separated the recreational charter fleet from private-boat anglers, offering federally licensed guides a 44-day red snapper season. That move seemed to be popular with survey respondents. Among private-boat anglers, 53 percent said the groups should be managed separately, either by the state or the feds. Sector separation was even more popular with federally permitted guides, with 65 percent saying they support it. Read the rest here 12:23
Share the Gulf Coalition to promote fair access to the red snapper fishery.
The issue in front of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, the federal body charged with regulating red snapper, is what helped catalyze the group’s formation, supporters said. Currently, the council tries to control overfishing by dividing a calculated amount of red snapper almost evenly between commercial and recreational fishermen so each sector gets about half of the overall quota. more@dailycomet 14:43
House Natural Resources Committee examines red snapper fishery
WASHINGTON — A House committee on Thursday tackled the difficult challenge of balancing commercial and recreational demands on the Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery. Republican Rep. Steve Southerland of Florida criticized the way NOAA officials have managed red snapper, especially their proposed Days-at-Sea Program for Charter-for-Hire.Southerland raised a hypothetical scenario in which 20 charter boats are granted permits while 60 are not. continued@newspress
Gulf Coast Governors Call on Congress to Give Management Control to States for Red Snapper Fishery
fosterfollynews.com – The letter to U.S. House and Senate leadership, signed by the governors’ states, “With a stock that is recovering steadily, our recreational anglers are being allowed to fish less and less, and there is no hint of willingness from NOAA Fisheries to deviate from this present, unsatisfactory course. As governors of Gulf states, we believe this confusing management is just the latest evidence of a federal management system that is irretrievably broken. We seek to establish a better fishery management approach for Gulf red snapper.” continued
