The Gulf Council (Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council) is living slap up to the “Snidely Whiplash” caricature so many Gulf anglers already recognize it as. Here we are, one year into Red Snapper Sector Separation (Amendment 40), the ink barely dry, arguments pro & con still ringing in our ears and the Council appears intent on pounding a cob up our backsides because….. well, because they can.
Amendment 40 was hard fought, bitterly opposed and with (only with) the acceptance of a three year sunset provision, barely passed into “law”. That provision was offered to gain the deciding vote. Now, with Amendment safely in the bag, the Council is requesting an additional 5 year sunset provision (Amendment 45) to be added to the, not yet one year old, existing sunset provision. That’s an additional 166% more time the Council now needs to get their work done.
A reasonable person might wonder, what could have precipitated the need for such a long extension so soon after the initial provision was put in place. Apparently it’s “just cuz”. The whole thing stinks of bad faith. A concession was made to get the deal, the deal the Council wanted, done. The rational for the initial provision at least sounded like it was founded in reason. From the Extension of the Gulf of Mexico Sector Separation Sunset Provision (Reef Fish Amendment 45) Frequently Asked Questions:
Why was the three-year sunset provision put in place in Amendment 40?
The sunset provision requires the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) to re-evaluate how sector separation is working.
The three-year sunset provision was considered long enough to allow the Council time to explore other possible management measures, like regional management, that could replace sector separation.
The three-year time period was considered short enough to create some urgency by the Council to consider other possible management measures to improve red snapper management.
With the deal in the bag the stated rational for the new extension (Amendment 45) is not so well crafted…. guess it didn’t really need to be. Again, from the Extension of the Gulf of Mexico Sector Separation Sunset Provision (Reef Fish Amendment 45) Frequently Asked Questions:
Why did the Council vote to extend the sunset provision?
The Council is currently working to develop and approve actions to address the management of the charter vessel and headboat fishing within the federal for-hire component (Amendments 41 and 42 to the FMP, respectively).
These amendments are not expected to be effective until after the 2017 Amendment 40 sunset provision expires.
They couldn’t have put any less effort into justifying this new sunset provision extension if they tried. Gulf anglers have been played, are being played and will continue to be played. What do you think?
Resources:
Tell NOAA What You Think About Amendment 45 (Comment Period Ends October 24, 2016)
Join forces with the National Fishing Rights Alliance
I think that if you overfish our oceans, which I have seen the decline and brought back of redfish. Then there will be no fish left for the next generations. Is that what you want?
I fish along the Sarasota county and Charlotte county areas. This is where I live and fish when the red snapper season is open in state waters we can not fish for them because there isn’t red snapper within the limit of state waters. There isn’t. A time we go out to the federal waters where we do catch red snapper (130′ of water depth )for grouper that we are not catching many red snapper along with the legal catch of other species.we feel as though we are treated unfairly with a 5 day open season
Try no season….I live on east coast at ft pierce . Catch them every time I go…Capt Dennis
It’s a pendulum. First we fished the snappers to near extinction, with little or no regulation. Now the regulators are regulating the fishermen to near extension. It’s America. We d every thing to excess, no one will agree to give up one damn thing, and nothing positive gets done. Deal with it it, the boot is coming up the charter Captains arse now.
They have to find new ways to protect there stocks , gulf council/commercial stock holders
I think the gulf council are lining their pockets from commercial fishermen because recreation fisherman get ten days for Red Snapper and thy get two months of the ten days this year it stormed four days and they gave us two back they so kind. I have been fishing in the gulf for Fifty years and never caught a Red Snapper in nine nautical what a bad joke and so is the Gulf Council.
I think the council should be eliminated
I couldn’t agree more. There is no way sector segmentation can ever be fair to recreational fisherman.
I have been fishing out of Clearwater for 40 + years mostly in the 80 ft deep range or about 23 miles out. I have never caught a red snapper.
The Gulf Council regulations are a joke! Red Grouper limit 2 at 20+ inches for me, when commercial fishermen no limit and the size is 18 inches. How much does a recreational caught fish worth to economy verses a commercial caught fish. Each fishing trip I put about $200 into the economy for (maybe) 2 grouper!
You want to solve problem stop the LONG LINERs . I would love to see that, snapper /grouper would come back for sure recreational would have a season
The council needs to be made up by fishermen who have the fisheries at heart not some political bureaucrat who is only interested in themselves. Their main goal and it has been for a very long time is to total wipe out charter boats and the jobs that go with it. This country has lost very many jobs to oversea interest and thanks to the council we will at some point lose some more. The council has their on agenda and I can assure you it is not the FISHERMEN and WOMEN that buy the licence to support the states
I live in Ohio & I come down for onr or two weeks per year , so maybe it’s none of my business , but I find the fisherman ( oystermen & women , hunters ) to be more knowledgable & very responsible …with a few bad apples. It’s just like when I was a kid & the ducks & geese were fast disappearing , ducks unlimited was formed by duck hunters NOT THE GOVERNMENT & now you can’t walk thru a golf course ( or anywhere ) without stepping in Goose Poop . & speaking of goose poop I think the council is full of it . Sorry to the young lady above worried about fish extinction , but honey the government is never a good answer & your good intentions are admirable , but We the people are responsible enough to manage ourselves.
Come on folks, we the people the recreational fisher folks own the fish, some so and so sitting on a council give our fish away for profit and tell us tuff shit! That stinks to High Heaven we can not harvest our fish! Given out for industry profits BY A VERY GREEDY SECTOR! If they want to protect a species STOP ALL SECTORS FROM HARVEST! Then let recreational fishing start first and then the for profit fishing after recreational is substantial
I agree the Council is a complete joke and are in the back pockets of commercial fisherman. The general public has been screwed and will continue to be screwed until this crooked council has been disbanded. Where can I vote for that amendment?
Give more days to recreational fisherman. Raise the limit to 1 a day. Raise the size to 20 inches
get more days offshore. that would take pressure off
snappers in state waters. Look at triggerfish. they
have taken over snapper habitat.