Fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico will be able to catch more red snapper this season thanks to an announcement from NOAA Fisheries.
The agency has given final approval for a nearly 10-percent increase in both the commercial and recreational catch limits, meaning 15.1 million pounds of fish can be harvested in 2019. Of that, commercial fishermen have been allocated 51 percent, or 7.7 million, of the catch limit.
The update was published in the Federal Registry earlier this week. It will take effect on 4 April.
In addition, NOAA Fisheries decreased the catch-limit buffer to 9 percent for the 2019 season, which means the catch target for the recreational sector is nearly 6.3 million for next year. The catch target is scheduled to drop to 5.9 million in 2020.
The drop in the buffer should also mean anglers will have more days to fish.
During the public comment period, NOAA Fisheries officials defended the decision to lower the buffer from 20 percent, saying it coincides with the second year of the pilot program allowing Gulf states to manage the recreational red snapper fishery in federal waters.
“The Federal for-hire component has not exceeded its ACL or ACT since sector separation was established in 2015 … The 9 percent buffer selected by the Council was derived using the ACL/ACT Control Rule, which evaluates factors such as whether there are recent harvest overages, the percent standard error in Federal for-hire landing estimates, stock status, and whether in-season accountability measures are used,” NOAA Fisheries stated.
Gulf politicians have been fighting to give their states more control over the recreational fishery and expand access to fishermen. U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, tweeted Thursday that the 62-day season for for-hire vessels was great news.
“This is 11 more days on the water than last year,” Shelby said. “Season opens June 1.”
