June 1, 2015 — The following was released by the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders Alliance:
“The defeat by withdrawal of the Graves amendment is a win for the millions of Americans who access Gulf red snapper through their favorite restaurants and seafood markets. This idea has been solidly defeated twice now so hopefully others will be discouraged from threatening the success of this sustainable fishery,” said Buddy Guindon, a commercial fisherman from Galveston, Texas.
“Twice now this threat to the sustainable commercial fishery has been rejected by the Republican majority in Congress. Now it is time to get back to business in the Gulf Council process by focusing on fixing broken recreational management without harming charter or commercial fishermen,” said Steve Tomeny, commercial and charter fisherman from Port Fourchon, Louisiana.
“Red snapper have made a huge comeback under federal management – in fact, quotas increased about 30 percent in 2015, the largest one-year quota increase ever. This is due to accountable commercial management and the conservation requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Magnuson is working to rebuild red snapper; we can’t afford to roll back conservation and sustainability measures like HR1335 is proposing to do,” said Jim Clements, commercial fisherman from Carrabelle, Florida.
Shareholders’ Alliance Statement – Graves Amendment to HR 1335