April 25, 2015 — As the Department of Commerce continues to move forward with activities funded through the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2015, Alabama Senator Richard Shelby has written Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker expressing strong concerns with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) management of the red snapper fishery.
Shelby, who Chairs the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce-Justice-Science, said in the letter that the science behind current NOAA practices has had a devastating impact on fishermen across the Gulf, resulting in fewer fishing opportunities for recreational anglers year after year.
“Year after year, commercial and recreational anglers have fewer fishing opportunities due to NOAA’s misguided practices regarding red snapper,” said the Alabama senator who has been a leading voice for Gulf fishermen. “The red snapper fishery is a key economic driver and is integral to the way of life on Alabama’s Gulf Coast. The federal government’s failure to properly oversee red snapper stocks has a damaging impact on fishermen and businesses alike, which is why I will continue to fight for improved management, sounder science, and more accurate data to help commercial and recreational fishermen gain increased access to the robust red snapper population on the Gulf.”
A long time critic of NOAA’s management of the red snapper fishery, Shelby was instrumental in securing critical reforms in Congress to ensure that both commercial and recreational fishermen have increased access to the red snapper population in the Gulf.
Read the full story from the Gulf Seafood Institute