Gulf Red Snapper and Shrimp Laws Changing Again

Red snapper regulations in the Gulf are changing so fast that fishermen are having trouble staying current. New commercial rules started April 2, and new recreational laws will go into effect on May 2. Then, in about a year, they will probably all change again. Fishermen ask: How did this mess happen?

In 1989, federal rules forced the Regional Fishery Management Councils to address overfished stocks, such as red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico. A rebuilding plan was developed, but it has to be modified as new data becomes available. The first plan specified a commercial quota and recreational bag limits. It was replaced by the current rebuilding plan, which will be replaced next year by Reef Fish Amendment 27/Shrimp Amendment 14. Additionally, a commercial red snapper Individual Fishery Quota program has been put in place, and new Bycatch Reduction Devices (BRDs) for shrimp nets have been approved as better equipment is devised. Various other management measures are also being implemented, all designed to address the legal requirement that red snapper populations be rebuilt.

The 2005 stock assessment found that, in spite of the regulations to rebuild the fishery, it continued to experience overfishing and remains overfished. Last fall, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council failed to take action on new regulations to comply with the Magnuson Act to end overfishing by 2010 and to have the stock rebuilt by 2032, citing questions and concerns about the data used to develop draft alternatives. NOAA Fisheries Service (NMFS) was forced to go into emergency regulation implementation mode to comply with federal law (and avoid a likely storm of lawsuits from environmental organizations). This interim rule is what is taking effect now.

However, the Gulf council is still considering a new slate of management alternatives aimed at addressing overfishing and reducing bycatch in both the red snapper directed fishery and the shrimp fishery in the form of Reef Fish Amendment 27/Shrimp Amendment 14. So look for some more changes in 2008, most likely:

• A 5 million pound total allowable catch quota (TAC) and a 2-fish recreational bag limit (this will probably make for a very short season!).
• No red snapper bag limit for captain and crew of for-hire vessels.
• A minimum size limit in the commercial red snapper fishery of 13 inches.
• A new requirement for the use of nonstainless steel circle hooks when using natural bait in the harvest of reef fish, as well as the use of NMFS approved venting tools and dehooking devices when harvesting all reef fish.
• A framework procedure to adjust the effort target and closed season for the shrimp fishery.
• A seasonal shrimp closure in the 10-30 fathom zone in the Gulf on the same start date as the closure of the EEZ off Texas, with annually evaluation of the level of effort and associated red snapper reduction, and adjustment of the duration and area of the closure as necessary.

Right now, the new NMFS interim regulations will be:

• The commercial red snapper minimum size limit is reduced from 15 inches to 13 inches total length (effective April 2, 2007).
• A goal is established to reduce red snapper bycatch mortality in the shrimp fishery to 50 percent of the bycatch mortality that occurred during 2001-2003 (effective May 2, 2007).
• The TAC of red snapper is reduced from 9.12 million pounds (mp) to 6.5 mp, resulting in a commercial red snapper quota of 3.315 mp and a recreational red snapper quota of 3.185 mp (effective May 2, 2007).
• The recreational red snapper bag limit is reduced from four fish to two fish per person per day (effective May 2, 2007).
• The captain and crew of for-hire vessels can no longer keep a recreational bag limit (effective May 2, 2007).

NOTE: The recreational red snapper fishery will open at 12:01 a.m. on April 21, 2007, which is 11 days before the interim measures for the recreational red snapper fishery take effect. Consequently, the red snapper bag limit will remain at four fish per person per day and will be available to the captain and crew of for-hire vessels for the first 11 days of the recreational fishing season. However, beginning at 12:01 a.m. on May 2, 2007, recreational fishermen will be limited to two red snapper per person per day and the captain and crew of for-hire vessels will be prohibited from retaining the red snapper bag limit. The recreational size limit remains at 16 inches.

All these interim measures implemented through this rule will probably expire on Sept. 30, 2007, if the Gulf council completes their process. For more information on Gulf of Mexico red snapper, visit http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/ and www.gulfcouncil.org.

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