August 12, 2015

Council to vote on red snapper quota amendment

Guest Author

Guest Author:

the Louisiana Sportman

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A final vote is expected Thursday at the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s meeting in New Orleans on the fate of Reef Fishery Management Plan Amendment 28, which could modify how the red snapper quota is divided between the recreational and commercial sectors.

The Council’s current preferred alternative is Alternative 8, which is derived from the recalibration of data from the early Marine Recreational Fish Survey and Statistics (MRFSS) to the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP.)

Currently, the annual catch limit is divided with 51 percent going to the commercial sector and 49 percent going to recreational anglers.

According to Myron Fischer, the director of the Fisheries Research Lab on Grand Isle and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries representative on the Council, the percentages would essentially flip under Alternative 8.

Read the full story at the Louisiana Sportman >>