Congressional legislators are again wading into the Gulf of Mexico red snapper controversy, this time with a bill introduced that would give states expanded control of private recreational fishing seasons and give more weight to harvest data collected by state agencies in determining acceptable catches.
The Red Snapper Act was introduced with bi-partisan support in both chambers of Congress. Louisiana Republican legislators Senator Bill Cassidy and Congressman Garret Graves are spearheading the effort with a bi-partisan coalition of co-sponsors from Texas, Mississippi, Missouri, Georgia and Alabama.
The Red Snapper Act would allow the five Gulf states to manage private recreational fishing seasons for red snapper within their existing 9-mile state territory as well as out to 25 miles or 25 fathoms, whichever is farther from shore. Fishing days beyond 9 miles would have to be managed in accordance with the national standards and a Gulf-wide catch limit. The bill would also give more weight to state harvest data to help provide timely information about catch rates and effort, as well as require the inclusion of non-federal data in determining the acceptable biological catch of red snapper.
Commercial and charter fishing would remain under the federal system, with regulations developed by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council.