June 20, 2016 — More than a dozen congressmen, including U.S. Rep. Walter Jones, wants federal fisheries regulators to reconsider a decision to close the South Atlantic red snapper fishery.
The representatives said data produced by a Florida research institution shows the South Atlantic red snapper stock is healthier than what federal data indicates so the fishery should be reopened to commercial and recreational fishing.
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries program, announced the South Atlantic red snapper season is closed this year because the total number of red snapper removed from the population in 2015 exceeded the allowable level, according to the NOAA Fisheries website.