April 23, 2015 — The Coastal Conservation Association has filed suit to block a move by the Department of Commerce to grant special red snapper-fishing privileges to the Gulf of Mexico charter-fishing fleet.
Under the plan, called Amendment 40, federal fisheries managers would pull the charter take of red snapper from the recreational quota and award it to individual captains. The measure was endorsed by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council in a 10-7 vote in October, and signed by Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker on April 10.
Amendment 40 has been stridently opposed by recreational-fishing interests since it was proposed because it would mean a smaller quota for the industry. Traditionally, the entire recreational fleet — charter captains and private anglers — has received 49 percent of the annual red-snapper quota. Commercial fishers get 51 percent.
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