PANAMA CITY — An increase in the amount of red snapper allowed to be caught in the Gulf this year could mean a longer season for recreational anglers in state waters.
But the proposal for a 70-day state season presented by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at a workshop Wednesday drew mixed reviews from visitors, many of whom fear the longer state season could mean little to no days to fish for red snapper in federal waters beyond 9 nautical miles from shore.
“The difference this year is that there will also be some fall weekends involved,” FWC official Martha Bademan said. “With the quota increase, the commission wants to provide some additional opportunities for anglers.”
The proposed season would begin May 23, the Saturday before Memorial Day, and continue through Sunday, July 12. The season would resume for the entire Labor Day weekend, Sept. 5-7, and continue on Saturdays and Sundays throughout September and October. The weekend-only fall season would wrap up Sunday, Nov. 1.
The FWC plans to present the results of the workshops held throughout the Gulf Coast this week at the commission’s April meeting in Tallahassee, where they will take final action on the 2015 season.
Bademan, who also sits on the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, which manages species in federal waters, said although Florida has different management practices than the feds, all must adhere to the same quota set by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
“Florida catches a lot of red snapper,” Bademan said. “If we have a lot of harvest going on in state waters, you can expect a shorter federal season.”
Last year, the state red snapper season was 53 days while the federal season lasted a mere nine days.
Despite the longer season in state waters, many charter boats were kept onshore because of a provision in the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the law that governs U.S. fisheries management, that says federal for-hire permit holders can fish only when federal waters are open.
Panama City charter boat operator Mark Kelley said the state’s move away from complying with the federal season has hurt his business over the years.
“They belong to all of us,” Kelley said of red snapper. “I've been constrained by law. I cannot fish inside nine miles … The more days you take from us, it makes me want to take from you.”
Ben Walsh, a charter fisherman without a federal permit, said management practices have caused a split among anglers over the years.
“I can’t fish beyond nine miles for anything,” said Walsh, who asked FWC officials to consider more fishing days in the spring. “They’re kind of pitting us against each other … the fed and the state boats.”
Panama City charter angler Rob Coffee thanked the FWC for helping to promote recreational fishing.
“I’m just one person and I bet I’ll be booked every one of (those) weekends,” he said.
Coffee also was one of many anglers at the workshop who spoke in favor of regional management of red snapper, an idea tossed around by the Gulf Council that would allow states to craft their own programs for the species using a quota set by NOAA Fisheries.
“Let’s let the states take over,” he said. “It would be a complete win for everybody.”
