August 14, 2019 — If you want a change in red snapper annual catch limits, if you’re itching for extended seasons or changing bag or trip limits, you’re out of luck. But some smaller changes could be coming as the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council examines red snapper regulations for the coming year.
Major changes, like significant changes to the season or catch limits, won’t be possible until the conclusion of the next stock assessment, which isn’t scheduled to start until 2021. Currently, however there are four actions proposed. Myra Brouwer, a fisheries scientist with the SAFMC, is leading webinars on the actions this week, at the end of which people can ask questions. There are webinars scheduled for this evening and Thursday evening.
“The first (action) would remove that minimum number of days for both (recreational and commercial) seasons, for each of those seasons to open,” Brouwer said during Monday’s webinar. “The second action would modify the start day for the recreational season. Action 3 would revise the days of the week that recreational harvest is allowed during an open season, and Action 4 would modify the start date for the commercial season.”