Background
- According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), overfishing exists for a number of species in both the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico waters. Efforts have been underway for a few years with a target year of 2010 to end what they see as overfishing on these waters.
- NOAA has charged its South Atlantic and Gulf Fisheries Management Councils with implementing a plan to end the overfishing.
- Meetings and hearings have been taking place in all affected states for the past two years, although finding out about them has been difficult at best.
The New Rules
Here are the basics of the new rules, which go into effect on July 29, 2009:- Closes the season on vermillion snapper (beeliners) from November through March.
- Reduces the recreational harvest limits on beeliners from 10 to 5 fish per angler.
- Reduces and modifies the commercial harvest quotas for beeliners.
- Closes the season on shallow water grouper in the south Atlantic from January through April of each year. The Gulf of Mexico already has a closed season from February 1 through March 31. During the open season, the limit has been reduced to one gag or one black grouper per angler.
- Requires the use of a dehooking tool and ventilating device for grouper to be released.
Effects
These new rules effectively eliminate most bottom fishing during the winter and spring months in the Gulf of Mexico and in the waters off the south Atlantic coast. Not only are recreational and commercial anglers affected, but the quasi commercial boats – the charter boats – which are technically commercial boats taking recreational anglers fishing – are going to be dropping like flies. Bottom fishing is a staple for many of these boats, and if anglers can’t keep what they catch, they will simply stop fishing. Some would say that this is the ultimate goal of this whole affair.The entire support industry of boats, tackle, tackle shops, and marinas stand to be devastated by the new ruling. The multi-billion dollar fishing industry could take a real hammering.
Down the Road
With promises from SAFMC that these closed seasons will be modified as the stocks rebuild, it pays to take a look down the road. Because, right on the heels of this ruling is Amendment 17, which, if implemented as it is today will totally close the red snapper fishery in these same waters for a minimum of six months initially with an option to extend the closure for one year. If Amendment 16 doesn’t put people out of business, Amendment 17 will.There are also several dozen additional bottom species that NOAA and SAFMC are looking at that could be affected down the road. When anglers can’t catch and keep one particular variety of fish, they will turn to another, and our wonderful regulators are standing by to do their job on these additional species.
Opinion
Many people are up in arms, particularly the charter boat community. This will put a lot of them out of business. The scientific data used to make all these decisions is questionable at best.There are those who believe that the regulations currently in effect can manage these fish. I happen to be one of them. Enforcing the current rules would go a long way. I see violations every time I fish – people keeping short fish and people keeping way over the limit of fish. It becomes an enforcement problem. Do we really think that a rule shutting down a fishery will be obeyed by the same people who don’t follow the rules today? Given the current state of enforcement, it appears we are penalizing the law abiding anglers simply because we cannot police those who break the current rules.
Time will tell, but I believe we will see closed seasons in perpetuity on grouper and snapper – in my opinion all because people won’t abide by the law…
