May 18, 2014 — Setting the red snapper season off the Alabama Gulf Coast has had more twists and turns than the Barber Motorsports race course.
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (GMFMC) first set the season at 40 days, but that was just the drop of the green flag.
Then came the ruling from a federal judge in Washington, D.C., on a lawsuit brought by several commercial fishermen with the aid of the Environmental Defense Fund. The judge ruled that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries (aka National Marine Fisheries Service or NMFS) had not properly handled the years the recreational sector had exceeded its quota, a 49-percent share of the total quota.
Because the judge ruled the recreational sector must stay within its portion of the quota in 2014, the Gulf Council had to redo its recommendation to comply with the judge's ruling. A larger buffer was instituted, which takes pounds off the top of the quota. Plus, NMFS decided to use the 2013 landing rates from the new, unproven MRIP (Marine Recreational Information Program) instead of using the rates from the previous system.
An 11-day season was recommended by the Gulf Council at its meeting this spring in Baton Rouge. However, after the 11-day season was announced, Louisiana rebelled and decided to expand their state-only season to year-round with a two-fish bag limit.
Read the full story at the Montgomery Advertiser