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Outlook for Snapper Fishermen Gets Worse

As predicted, the outlook for red snapper fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico grew dimmer last week in New Orleans after the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council passed even more restrictive regulations for the 2008 through 2010 seasons.

There are two possible scenarios that could play out before the regulations are finalized by the Secretary of Commerce, according to Vernon Minton, director of the Marine Resources Division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

 With almost no alternatives, the Gulf council voted for a two-fish bag limit with a minimum size of 16 inches with a 107-day season from June 1 through Sept. 15. The council was limited to a total allowable catch (TAC) of 5 million pounds, a reduction of almost half compared to the 2006 season limit of 9.12 million pounds.

However, the council also added a stipulation that would lengthen the season due to reduced effort caused by Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina. The question is whether the National Marine Fisheries Service (a.k.a. NOAA Fisheries) will go along with that stipulation and recommend it to Secretary Carlos Gutierrez.

“The council passed the motion made by Bobbi Walker that assumes a 10-percent reduction in post-hurricane effort and landings when evaluating alternate TACs and management measures in the setting of the season,” Minton said. “That will translate into a proposed extension each season from 2008-2010. The season of May 15 through Oct. 15 assumes the reduced effort and was passed the council. However, all regulations proposed by the council must be ratified by the Secretary of Commerce.”

Bob Shipp, head of Marine Sciences at the University of South Alabama and a member of the Gulf council, said snapper fishermen are going to have to bite the bullet for at least three seasons.

“It certainly looks that way,” Shipp said. “Basically, the most important thing is we passed a two-fish bag with 16-inch size. Captain and crew lost their bag. What we tried to do was keep the season open as long as possible. The fisheries service gave us a maximum TAC of 5 million pounds, so we didn’t have any options to keep things close to what we have.

“And there’s a caveat to the hurricane-related extension. NMFS fought it. They did not want to do that. They said if they monitor the catch and the 10-percent reduction in effort is not there, they would have to step in and close the season. But they can’t ignore what’s happened with the storms, fuel cost, docks and marinas damaged. There are a lot of things going on. We feel like a 10-percent reduction is conservative. We generated good rationale. Bobbi Walker (head of the Orange Beach Fishing Association) said seven boats at Orange Beach had already cashed it in. Mississippi said nobody is going out. We feel like the reduction may be as much as 25 percent.”

There was talk of dividing the Gulf into eastern and western zones, but NOAA legal counsel quashed that idea.

“Florida and Alabama voted for a one-fish bag limit, 16-inch size limit with the current season of  April 21 to Oct. 31,” Minton said. “We did that based on the feedback from public hearings. People overwhelmingly said they wanted a longer season. However, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas voted for the two-fish bag.”

To achieve the goals, the shrimp trawl bycatch reduction target is 74 percent compared to the benchmark years of 2001-2003. If that goal is achieved the target reduction can be reduced to 67 percent by 2011 and 60 percent for the following years to 2032.

“The level of TAC that could be established for the next three years was based on the estimated amount of shrimp trawl bycatch reduction, directed fishery bycatch and those caught during the closed season,” Minton said. “Factor all that in and that leaves you with where we are. All fishing mortality must be reduced by 74 percent. Since that was very unlikely with current regulations, we had less than a 50 percent chance of achieving the rebuilding goals. Remember the court case that the CCA (Coastal Conservation Association) initiated. The judge ruled that if the rebuilding plan had a less than 50 percent chance it would be thrown out. So we had to have something that had a better chance of succeeding.

“In Magnuson (Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act), we have to end overfishing between 2009 and 2010 and the stock has to be rebuilt by 2032. If we don’t do that, the judge could come back and say we’re just going to shut it off. That could be red snapper fishing, shrimping and possibly other fishing, as well. There was nothing else we could do.”

There is also a stipulation in the Magnuson-Stevens Act that the socio-economic impact must be considered when passing restrictive regulations.

“We’re looking very closely at one of the national standards that requires that the impact on fishing communities on these rebuilding measures be taken into consideration,” Minton said. “I’ve contacted Dr. Semoon Chang, an economist at the University of South Alabama, and he will be conducting an economic study on the impact of these new regulations on the charter boat fleets in Orange Beach, Gulf Shores and Dauphin Island. Hopefully, we’ll be able to moderate these rebuilding strategies. If we can find some way to extend the drop-dead date for rebuilding, the impact is not as severe.”

For the immediate future, the charter boats will have to diversify to survive.

“The thing we need to sell is that red snapper isn’t the only species in the Gulf and there are other species that can be caught and make the trip worthwhile,” Minton said. “People need to call their charter folks and ask about what other fish they can catch.”

Shipp added: “We managed to keep the vermilion snapper limit at 20, so people will have something to catch. But some boats will have to change to tuna and mackerel to survive.”