Red Snapper Season

All fishermen fishing for reef-associated species (snapper, grouper, triggerfish and amberjack) must possess and utilize the tools described below:
Dehooking tool: The hook removal device is required to be constructed toallow the hook to be secured and the barb shielded without re-engaging duringthe removal process. This requires the dehooking end to be blunt, and all edgesrounded. The device must be of a size appropriate to secure the range of hooksizes and styles used in the reef-fish fishery.
Venting tool: The venting tool must be a sharpened, hollow instrument, such asa hypodermic syringe with the plunger removed, or a 16-gauge needle fixed toa hollow wooden dowel. Use of tools such as a knife or ice pick is not permissible.
Hooks: NON-stainless steel circle hooks are required when using natural baitswhile fishing for all reef species including red snapper.

The Council approved and took final action on a regulatory amendment that increases the red snapper stock Annual Catch Limit for 2012 and 2013 to 8.080 million pounds and 8.690 million pounds respectively. No Annual Catch Targets were set. Sector quotas will be set equal to the sector Annual Catch Limits. The proposed 2013 increase will occur only if the 2012 stock Annual Catch Limit is not exceeded.Also related to red snapper, the Council discussed an options paper for a regulatory amendment that wouldconsider adjustments to the structure of the red snapper season by exploring weekend or weekday only redsnapper fishing for both the regular snapper season and for any supplemental seasons that may occur. TheCouncil selected the no action alternative as the preferred alternative for both actions, and tabled furtherdevelopment of the amendment.

The final decisions on the 2012 red snapper season have not yet been made and likely will not be finalized until late spring. Currently we are looking at the season opening on June 1 and your guess is as good as mine or the NMFS as for when it will close. They are taking comment from the public on whether we would like a regular season like we’ve had in past years or maybe a weekend season which would consist of fishing on Friday, Saturday, and Sundays. Up for final action at the February Gulf Council meeting they are looking at increasing the 2012 annual catch limit and extending the current September 30 closure. Currently under no circumstances the red snapper season can go beyond September 30. At this point and time it doesn’t matter, but if an early hurricane was to come during snapper season and keep us out of the Gulf for a week this would give the National Marine Fisheries Service the opportunity to allow us to finish off the quota in the fall and winter. This was done under a special rule being passed following the BP Oil Spill.

NOAA filed a final emergency rule Thursday to increase the total allowable catch and to possibly reopen the Gulf recreational red snapper season. The emergency rule will “provide authority to the Regional Administrator to reopen the recreational red snapper season after the September 30 end of the fishing season and to increase the red snapper total allowable catch by 345,000 pounds (from 7.185 million pounds to 7.53 million pounds) for the 2011 fishing year.
”U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Panama City, said he supported the change.
“As a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, I have publicly and privately urged NOAA to act on the concerns of commercial and recreational fishermen who are struggling under the impact of faulty, outdated science,” Southerland said in a news release. “I applaud this red snapper rule as a first step in the right direction. As a result of this rule, boats for hire will have the opportunity to finish the year on a strong note.”

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council reminds anglers that the recreational season for Gulf red snapper in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico will close at midnight, July 18, 2011. This closure was established to limit the harvest of red snapper in the Gulf and help rebuild overfished stocks so that anglers can enjoy better red snapper fishing in the future.

The recreational red snapper season, which is technically June 1 – September 30, has consistently closed early since it was established. In June, the Council asked NOAA Fisheries Service to develop an emergency rule that suspends the September 30 recreational red snapper closure date, giving the Regional Administrator more leeway to open a fall season if/when the quota is not met during the summer season.

The Gulf Council is working on an amendment that could revise the structure of the fall recreational snapper season. Currently, the three actions contained in the amendment are:
•Revise or eliminate the fixed closed season. Currently, the recreational red snapper season must close by September 30. Pushing back or eliminating the closure date will give the Council more management options.
•Allow weekends only, or weekdays only fishing periods. This gives the council more options for in-season management.
•Increase the 2012 red snapper Total Allowable Catch based on the 2011 red snapper rerun analysis

Public hearings for this regulatory amendment will be held sometime after the August 2011 Council meeting.

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional fishery management councils established by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976. The Council prepares fishery management plans designed to manage fishery resources in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

NOAA Fisheries Service has published a final rule implementing increases in the commercial and recreational red snapper quotas in the Gulf of Mexico from 3.542 and 3.403 million pounds (MP) to 3.66 and 3.525 MP in 2011, respectively. A recent red snapper assessment update projected overfishing (rate of removal is too high) ended in 2009, and therefore, the total allowable catch can be increased from the existing 6.945 MP to 7.185 MP. This action was evaluated in a regulatory amendment to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico. The final rule published in the Federal Register on April 29, 2011.
The recreational red snapper season opens June 1, 2011. NOAA Fisheries Service has projected the red snapper recreational quota will be harvested by July 18, 2011. The fishing season will close at 12:01 a.m. July 19, 2011. The 48-day season is the shortest season to date since the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council chose to begin the season on June 1, and is, in part, the result of the increasing size of the fish being landed. Between 2007 and 2010, the average weight of a red snapper landed in the Gulf of Mexico increased from 3.32 to 5.34 pounds per fish. Between 2007 and 2008, there was a 29 percent increase in the average weight of red snapper landed. Between 2008 and 2009 there was an 18 percent increase in the average weight of red snapper landed. Between 2009 and 2010 there was a 5.4 percent increase in the average weight of red snapper landed. Between 2010 and 2011, stock assessment projections indicate average weight will increase by 10 percent. The observed increases in average weight appear to be tracking stock assessment projections, but at a slightly lower rate of increase. Increases in average weight are expected as the stock rebuilds and the number of older, larger fish in the population increases.

Source: National Marine Fisheries Service

April 1, 2011
Red snapper season regulations are in effect for all waters of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.  The recreational bag limit is 2 fish per person and the captain and crew of for-hire vessels (i.e., charter boats) are prohibited from harvesting red snapper.  The open harvest season in both Florida state and federal waters is set to open June 1. The closure date has not yet been determined, it will be decided once the finally tally on the 2010 catch is completed. If there is left over TAC from 2010 its possible that it will be added to the 2011 season.   
NOAA Fisheries Service announced the June 1 opening date for the 2011 red snapper season in federal waters as part of a final rule that increases the red snapper quotas in the Gulf of Mexico. The FWC approved regulations making the season for red snapper in state waters of the Gulf of Mexico consistent with the new federal season at its April 2010 meeting.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission increased its data collection efforts during the 2010 open season to estimate how many red snapper were harvested by anglers in the Gulf.   This information has shown that catch levels were less than 2010′s established recreational Gulf red snapper harvest quota due to fishing closures caused by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
In response, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (GMFMC) and NOAA Fisheries Service opened recreational red snapper for a supplemental season in Gulf federal waters during weekends only (Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays) from Oct. 1, 2010 – Nov. 21, 2010. The FWC opened a consistent supplemental recreational red snapper season via executive order  in Gulf of Mexico state waters.
Recreational Bag Limits for Federal and Florida State waters of the Gulf of Mexico
■The recreational bag and possession limit is two (2) red snapper per person per day
■Possession of the recreational bag limit by captain and crew of for-hire vessels is prohibited
Recreational Season
■Florida State waters of the Gulf of Mexico:  June 1 – July 23 *2011 season dates subject to change
■Federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico:  Opens June 1, 2011 – season length TBA
Commercial
■The commercial minimum size limit of harvested and imported fish is 13 inches total length
■The commercial daily bag and trip limit is 2 fish per person in state waters
■The commercial quota set at 3.542 million pounds
■Seasonal and area closures are in place for the commercial shrimping industry to reduce effort in order in minimize juvenile red snapper bycatch
Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

February 18, 2011
NOAA Fisheries Service is seeking public comment on a proposed rule that would adjust the commercial and recreational red snapper quotas in the Gulf of Mexico from 3.542 and 3.403 million pounds (MP) to 3.66 and 3.525 MP in 2011, respectively. A recent red snapper assessment update projected overfishing (rate of removal is too high) ended in 2009, and therefore, the total allowable catch can be increased from the existing 6.945 MP to 7.185 MP. This action was evaluated in a regulatory amendment to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico. The proposed rule publishes in the Federal Register on February 22, 2011, with the comment period ending March 24, 2011.
If the amendment is approved, the final rule may contain NOAA Fisheries Service’s estimated projection for the number of days in the 2011 recreational fishing season.
Request for Comments
Written comments on this proposed rule to increase the red snapper commercial and recreational quotas must be received no later than March 24, 2011, to be considered by NOAA Fisheries Service. See the Addresses section for information on where and how to submit comments. All comments received by NOAA Fisheries Service will be addressed in the final rule.
Addresses
Electronic copies of the proposed rule or the regulatory amendment may be obtained from the e-Rulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s Web site at http://www.gulfcouncil.org, or from NOAA Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office, Sustainable Fisheries Division, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701-5505.
You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
• Electronic Submissions: Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Enter the following docket number into the “Search” box: NOAA-NMFS-2011-0018. All comments received are part of the public record and will generally be posted to http://www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying information (for example, name, address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter, may be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or protected information. NOAA Fisheries Service will accept anonymous comments. Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only.
• Mail: Richard Malinowski, NOAA Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office, Sustainable Fisheries Division, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701-5505.
Comments received through means not specified in this bulletin will not be considered.
Source: www.gulfcouncil.org

November 16, 2010
NOAA Fisheries Service reminds fishermen that the recreational fishing season for red snapper ends 12:01 a.m., local time, Monday, November 22, 2010. The 2011 red snapper season will open on June 1. NOAA Fisheries Service re-opened the 2010 recreational red snapper fishing season in the Gulf of Mexico for eight consecutive weekends beginning October 1, 2010, because projections indicated the recreational quota had not been caught because of fishing closures from the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council recommended a weekend-only extension of the fishing season to provide fishermen the opportunity to harvest any remaining recreational red snapper quota, achieve optimum yield for the fishery, and enhance social and economic benefits to the fishery.
Source: National Marine Fisheries Service