PANAMA CITY — The Bay County Chamber of Commerce is among several groups fearing a federal court’s decision could lead to tanking the 2014 and 2015 red snapper fishing season in federal waters.
Though some fishermen and associated businesses hailed the U.S. District Court’s decision in March that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) violated the law by failing to properly manage the Gulf’s red snapper fishery, officials at the Bay Chamber released statements Thursday claiming the ruling left open the possibility to “close the red snapper fishing season for 2014 and possibly for 2015 in federal waters.”
Chamber officials said if that measure is used to correct overfishing, the state’s economy could be at risk.
“Red snapper fishing affects the state’s tourism industry,” Bay Chamber President Carol Roberts said Thursday. “If they (tourists) can’t come and catch red snapper, it would adversely affect our economy.”
Recreational angling in
The court found NOAA violated the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and dictated the federal agency develop adequate accountability measures to ensure that the recreational fishing sector adheres to annual fishing quotas. What those measures would entail has yet to be determined. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will begin discussions Monday in
Despite shortening the red snapper season to nearly half its length seven years ago, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) reports cite toleration of a system that “routinely breaches science-based limits.”
“Through no fault of Gulf anglers who play by the rules, red snapper have been overharvested in the recreational fishery in six of the last seven years, often by significant margins,” the report states. “Preliminary data suggests that in 2013 recreational catch exceeded its quota by close to 100 percent.”
Catch is still controlled by season and bag limits, in addition to size limits, which have shrunk dramatically. The 2013 recreational season was just 42 days.
Local charter boat Capt. Bob Zales disagreed with the court’s finding that red snapper had been overfished and questioned the methodology of data-gathering techniques.
Zales said he also believes NOAA would attempt to shorten the snapper season and hopes recreational fishers of
“We’re telling people that if it is going to be cut down to a couple days, they should just shut it down,” Zales said. “Maybe then people will show up to the meetings.”
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- Where: Embassy Suites,
- When: Monday through Thursday
Read the council’s agenda, see a chart showing fish catches through the years and find a link to watch council meetings