Red Snapper Daily Limits

Discussion in 'Sportsman's Paradise' started by LSUTiga, Jun 9, 2016.

  1. LSUTiga

    LSUTiga TF Pubic Relations

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    Spinoff from jval's snapper threads. I got to wondering and did a quick search.

    This is just three charters out of Dauphine on opening day of 2013.

    [​IMG]
    http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2013/06/red_snapper_season_opens_to_ea.html
     
  2. LSUTiga

    LSUTiga TF Pubic Relations

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    In jval's defense, apparently their populations are strong. From the same link:

     
  3. jvalhenson

    jvalhenson Founding Member

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    Their population is not just strong. They are heavily overpopulated. To the point that it is near impossible to catch anything else out there. Vermillions lanes triggers even grouper have been crowded out and eaten to nothing. The issue with red snapper is 100% one of money and a very very small group of individuals controlling nearly the entire harvest of red snapper. The commercial harvest is year round yet recreations get only 9 days. You want to see a lot of snapper it's not on the rec boats or even the charter ones....it's the commercial boats that catch 2000lbs a day every day they go out year round. I have no problem with commercial fishing in fact i am one myself for state waters at times and my family have been commercial fisherman for generations. The issue is with the false management which is 100% done so the commercial reef fish permit holders can make more money and pad the right pockets to keep it going. You want to see some of the real problems look up "the kingpins of the gulf" and start reading. Do not buy in to the commercial sector and the Feds nonsense bullshit about the smaller population. They are destroying the gulf with them. This is a major topic right now and has been for some time. Only hope is the states can somehow get regional management from the Feds. The data the Feds use is complete nonsense. For example they will not use any man made structures in their fish surveys. As in oil rigs, wrecks, artifucial reefs etc to the Feds those fish do not exist even though that is where the bulk of the population live. They only count fish found on natural bottom which in the northern gulf is very very limited at snapper depths of 40-250 ft. Even worse than that is the amount of snapper they claim we catch. To hit the numbers the fed claim every single salt waters license holder in all 5 gulf states would have to fish every day of the fed and state seasons and catch a limit of 15lb average snapper every trip to get to those numbers and that obviously does not happen. Do some research on it and you'll see where the real problem is.
     
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2016
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  4. jvalhenson

    jvalhenson Founding Member

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    Oh and of course you can't just go buy a commercial license like you can for state waters. There are only X number of reef fish permits and you have to buy one from someone who already has one of them. Meaning there are no new ones and those who own them have full control. To buy one usually runs a minimum of 10 grand and that's if someone dies and the wife or whoever just wants it gone.
     
  5. jvalhenson

    jvalhenson Founding Member

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    One more page to my novel....a few years ago an internal memo/statement or whatever you want to call it at NOAA was leaked. It said they by the year 2020 their goal was to have ALL recreational fishing in federal waters catch and release only that the satisfaction should come in the catch not in eating what you catch. Only commercial reef permit holders would be allowed retain any fish in federal waters. And they are getting exactly that. Already red snapper is down to 9 days. Grouper, triggerfish, amberjack and others are also highly limited in their open seasons and limits. To add to that set the seasons so only 1 or 2 species is open at a time in an attempt to discourage people from going at all bc you can't catch and keep enough of any legal fish at a given time to be worth the gas, bait time etc. I really don't care about a red snapper in particular they are way down on my list of favorite fish.....what I do care about is a select few individuals being allowed to profit millions on a public trust resource while the general public is extremely limited in its access to the resource if not access eliminated completely. The fat cats are most def not the recreational guys.....the fat cats are the ones holding the reef fish permits and the politician pockets they are padding.
     
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  6. LSUTiga

    LSUTiga TF Pubic Relations

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    Good info jval. Thanks for taking the time to share.
     

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