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Charter Fishermen See Red Over Possible Snapper Limits

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The Associated Press

Published: February 4, 2008

DESTIN - Restrictions on the amount of red snapper that can be caught in coastal Florida waters soon could be approved over the objections of charter fishermen who insist the rules will severely hurt their businesses.

Federal guidelines that go into effect at the end of February would limit the total snapper catch from the Gulf of Mexico to 5 million pounds a year. But Florida officials have yet to approve similar standards for their territorial waters.

Charter fishing captains from the Florida Panhandle plan to protest the regulations at a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission meeting and vote scheduled for Thursday in Panama City.

"This couldn't have come at a worse time," Destin charter fishing boat captain Mike Eller told the Northwest Florida Daily News. "We are all struggling."

Eller said a provision that would shorten the fishing season by 2 1/2 months would further harm his business, which is grappling with higher fuel prices and fewer customers.

Fishermen around the Gulf Coast will be closely watching Florida's decision. Texas has already shunned the new federal regulations, refusing to adopt similar restrictions for its territorial waters.

Both Texas and Florida patrol waters up to nine nautical miles from the coast.

Alabama officials have yet to weigh in whether to adopt the snapper restrictions, although their authority only covers waters within three miles of Alabama's relatively short coastline.

Federal officials are hoping the new restrictions will allow red snapper populations in the Gulf of Mexico to rebound. In previous years, officials have allowed 9.1 million pounds of snapper to be caught, but concerns about overfishing prompted calls for changes.

Under the new guidelines, some snapper-rich areas would be off-limits to shrimpers, who sometimes accidentally catch the fish in their nets.

Fishermen also will be required later this year to use special hooks designed to keep alive snapper that are too small to keep.

Commercial fishermen would be allowed to catch up to 2.55 million pounds, while recreational anglers would be limited to 2.45 million pounds per year.

Commission members have approved draft rules similar to the federal restrictions, agency spokesman Lee Schlesinger said. He did not predict how members would vote next week, but said he expected vocal opposition from anglers.

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