Private recreational anglers learned last month that they will have just three days of red snapper season in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico in 2017. It is the shortest red snapper season to date in the Gulf.
NOAA Fisheries recently announced the 2017 Gulf of Mexico red snapper recreational seasons in federal waters. Seasons for the private angling and federally permitted for-hire components open June 1. The private angler component season will be three days, and the federally permitted for-hire component season will be 49 days in federal waters.
“We are greatly disappointed at the extremely limited federal red snapper season. The red snapper fishery off the coast of Alabama is phenomenal. For NOAA Fisheries to allow our anglers only three days to harvest red snapper from federal waters is ridiculous and unjustifiable,” said Conservation Commissioner N. Gunter Guy, Jr. “Alabama has built a great fishery and has worked diligently to rebuild this once overfished species. Now that the fishery is rebuilding, we are catching larger fish, and they are so plentiful that we are being penalized for our success. We need a radical change in federal red snapper management. Alabama will continue to work with Senator Shelby, Senator Strange, and Congressman Byrne to pass legislation that will make real changes to how NOAA manages this fishery.”
“The red snapper fishery means so much to Alabama’s economy. Every day the federal season is open helps businesses in Coastal Alabama,” said Commissioner Guy. “I am hopeful that once President Trump’s appointees are in place we will be able to discuss with them how the federal overregulation on this, and other fisheries, is hurting the livelihood of so many people.”
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Marine Resources Division (MRD), announced last month that Alabama’s waters will open for the recreational harvest of red snapper from Friday, May 26, through Monday, July 31, 2017. Alabama state waters extend 9 nautical miles from shore.
NOAA Fisheries, in the news release announcing the federal season, partially blamed the short federal season on longer state water seasons. However, only 8 percent of the red snapper catch was attributed to Alabama state waters for 2016.
Fishermen are reminded that they are still required to report their red snapper harvest through Snapper Check to the MRD during the federal and Alabama state seasons as well as any other time red snapper are landed in Alabama. This data will be key for getting NOAA to improve management. Only one report is required per vessel trip, and anglers can provide details via a smartphone app available under “Outdoor Alabama” in the iTunes or Google Play app stores; online at www.outdooralabama.com; or by paper forms available at select coastal public boat launches. The telephone reporting method is no longer available.
A list of public artificial and natural reefs located in Alabama state waters, as well as recent reef-building activity, can be found at www.outdooralabama.com/artificial-reefs.