December 9, 2019 — A pilot program that gave five U.S. states bordering the Gulf of Mexico greater control over their quotas for the Gulf red snapper fishery is in the process of being made permanent, signaling a willingness from NOAA Fisheries to embrace more flexible, decentralized management programs for U.S. fisheries.
In April 2019, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council unanimously adopted Amendment 50, which would extend state regulations for recreational red snapper harvest in the Gulf of Mexico into adjacent federal waters for 2020 and beyond. Draft rules are now being considered by the individual states, which include Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. As that happens, NOAA Fisheries is conducting an evaluation of input received during a recently-concluded public comment period, and will soon publish a final rule, cementing Amendment 50 in place. That will likely happen in the early part of 2020, according to Roy Crabtree, the regional administrator of NOAA Fisheries’ Southeast Regional Office.