May 28, 2014 — On Friday, I had the opportunity to host one of my influential House colleagues, Republican Study Committee (RSC) Chairman Steve Scalise (LA-1), in Orange Beach for a tour of Red Snapper stocks in the Gulf of Mexico.
As Chairman of the RSC, Representative Scalise has a direct line of influence into the conservative wing of the House Republican Conference. He also happens to be an influential voice on the Gulf Coast, representing New Orleans and surrounding areas like Lafourche Parish. Because of this, Representative Scalise is the perfect person to bring to the Alabama coast to see our stocks firsthand and express the need to work together on a long-term fix.
On our tour, Representative Scalise and I saw more fish than we could count. This contradicts the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s (NOAA) claims that the Red Snapper stocks are dangerously over-fished, driving the decision earlier this year to limit the season from 40 to 9 days in June. Our trip points out the simple fact that NOAA’s scientific methods just aren’t accurately reflecting the situation in the Gulf of Mexico. The 9-day season this year is simply devastating to our coastal communities in Alabama.
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