Recreational Snapper fishing is almost done!!

[BAY KINGFISHER]

What a joke!! Judges managing the fisheries!! The commercial guys are winning with their deep pockets!! Im thinking the "sports" better get a handle soon, find some unity and a better lobbyist than the CCA!! Our voice is not being heard!!


http://www.nola.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2014/04/committee_approves_dramatic_re.html


If there is any question of the motives and direction of the NMFS read the bottom of page 17.....by 2020 they want to see, and gear towards catch and release!! The liberals are taking over!!

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ocs/documents/Vision_2020_FINAL-1.pdf

[deltadukman]

Been watching this topic for a few years now. Isnt there a lot of data that basically says we have way more snapper than the "cooked reports" state? I thought someone was getting in trouble of falsifying report data?

[BAY KINGFISHER]

Yep, the data is out there, I just dont see the current group in charge ever giving the new data a chance!!

[JDgator]

Just cancelled my late June fishing trip out of Port St. Joe. Enough is enough. 20-30 commercial fishing operations have shut down recreational fishing across the entire Gulf of Mexico.

Solution A: We shut down the entire red snapper fishery to everyone for 3 years for "regrowth of stock." This would put the the commercial sector out of business.

Solution B: We buy out the commercial fishing businesses for top dollar or pay them not to fish.

Either solution would have little impact on the average person. Few people can afford to buy red snapper fillets in the grocery store at over 20 bucks a pound.

[LODI QUACKER]

Fillet and RELEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Keep your fillets in a bag with ice on the deck tied to 1lb of lead weights. Any trouble and away they go.

Sucks that the feds have forced this kind of cival disobediance but they have. This is not my idea just the way it has to be done. IMO. The bad thing is even if you are in the disputed 3-9 mile LA water zone. You can and will get a ticket if the feds check you. LA game and fish will IMO not be patrolling this region.

LA has as of yesterday in direct correlation with this fed season enacted a season that doesnt close for red snapper in state waters. To not have to worry about a ticket you have to catch them within the 3 mile "old" state water line. Not many in that 3 miles though.

[GulfCoast]

11 days is a damn joke. Ducks may be next.

[JDgator]

The charter fishing associations are lining up with the commercial fisherman to cut off recreational angling. They think it means more fishing/business/revenue for them. It is disgusting to see how the thought of a little personal gain will contrive them to hurt their former allies.

[donia]

^^^this is what i was wondering. is it really overfished by recreational fishing, or do the commercial fishermen just want to be able to bring the "recreational" fish into their profit margin. in other words, "if you want snapper in your freezer, you buy it from us!".

[TK]

It is the biggest bunch of BS I have ever seen. I've been going out for 4 years now at least eight trips a year during the month they have been so graciously giving us. I can tell you one thing there is no shortage of snapper on the 10 or so holes I fish. Hell you can't catch anything but snapper. They take the bait on they way down most of the time.

The recreational salt water fisherman needs a good group to unite and join like the duck hunter has with DU and DWF. Unfortunately I really believe that the only hope. I would send money today if there was a group I thought could actually lobby in Washington and make a difference. Sad times we live in.

[BAY KINGFISHER]

JD, I know in Alabama the alignment is already starting with this pilot program.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/04/alabama_charterboat_pilot_prog.html


I know in a state like Alabama where most of the charters come from tourist staying on the beaches; the charter guys feel they need this program to protect their livelihood. However, I personally feel that if the charter guys in LA support regulation to stop recreational fisherman that they will be turning their backs on the "sports", that just happen to make up the lion share of their business. I am sure some are ready to jump on the Gulfwide charter season, but I hope they think long and hard about the potential impact. I really get an uneasy feeling knowing that these charter guys are joining the commercial mentality. The almighty dollar has clouded their judgment. I typically consider the charter guys I have used in the past were great stewards of the Gulf. When I think commercial fishing, the word steward doesnt come to mind.

[iron grip]

It is sad... back in they day they banned commercial duck hunting to save the species and ensure the heritage lived on for the hunters. These days they're banning the heritage to ensure the almighty dollar survives in the pocket of the big businesses that line the pocket of the decision makers. Raping and pillaging at its finest.

[redneck22ms]

i'm not sure how charter snapper fishing works but i was under the impression that people paying to fish for red snapper can only do so during rec. snapper season and only keep the rec. limit. however commercial snapper fishing is different. i know this for sure due to fishing on a commercial boat for a year. in order to fish commercially for red snapper you must first buy a federal reef permit(which they aren't issueing any new ones so you'd have to buy one from somebody. then along with the reef permit you have to have snapper shares. which is a share of the commercial quota (1 share = 1 pound).
when a commercial boat leaves port they must call a number a notify them what species they are targeting and when/where they will return etc. then once back at the dock they must call again with an estimate on the amount of weight of snapper on board and then the fish must be left on the boat for 6 hours i think to give a federal inspector a chance to inspect the catch before it can be offloaded and sold etc. out of the 10 or so snapper trips i have been on a fed inspector has never come to check our fish. 1 time they did send some guys from noaa to get scientific data but that is it. i was told that there is only 1 fed inspector to cover from new orleans to somewhere in central florida so not too many guys are going to get check so i'm sure alot are fudging their reported numbers. anyway that gives the gulf council a rough estimate of how many fish the commercial guys are catching. however i have never heard of anybody getting asked how many snapper they catch a year and their average weight etc. so the rec numbers they are coming up with are just some bs they are pulling out of their ass. there are more red snapper in the northern gulf now than there have been in 33 years i've been breathing. this whole deal makes me sick. i now reside in colorado but was planning a 9 day trip back home to the ms coast to fish for 7 days. but now i may have to cancel that.

[Denduke]

OT....alternative...target the other snapper...mangrove, mutton, etc.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source= ... HrLqafj-Kw

[Jeff]

I'll just continue fishing where I want to.

Have been boarded 4 times in last two years by Feds/USCG they tell us we aren't supposed to be fishing. We tell them tough Louisiana disagrees with the Feds. They are NOT NOT NOT writing tickets, neither is the state. Until I have to go to court, I'll keep fishing.