August 16, 2017 — Federal fishery managers will vote on an emergency order next month to create an open season later this year for red snapper, which are protected by strict regulations designed to help the species recover from overfishing.
The surprise move, which would create the first open season since 2014, will likely be welcomed by many local anglers who believe red snapper are thriving and mismanaged by overbearing federal officials.
Others were caught off guard by the news and concerned about the repercussions of loosening the regulations and whether fishery managers were legally allowed to make that decision on such short notice.
“The question is, what’s the emergency? Where’s the fire?,” said Leda Cunningham, who works for a campaign to end overfishing run by an arm of the Pew Charitable Trusts. “If there’s new information that indicates the status of the population has changed for the better or worse, we’ll need to see it.”
Red snapper have been protected by strict regulations since 2010, a result of the federal government ruling the species was overfished to dangerously low numbers. Anglers can still catch red snapper, but they’ve had just a few opportunities to keep the fish since the rules took effect.