Nine Day Red Snapper Season is a Disgrace for Alabama Fishermen, Byrne Says

Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-AL) issued the following statement in response to NOAA’s announcement that this year’s Red Snapper season in the Gulf of Mexico will be nine days for recreational fishermen.

Byrne said: “A nine day Red Snapper season is a disgrace for Alabama’s fishermen. This type of ‘derby-style’ season poses serious challenges and puts the safety of our fishermen at risk. There are plenty of Red Snapper in the Gulf, but the federal government continues to do a terrible job of counting the number of fish, as well as the number caught each year.

“The House has passed reform legislation that would give us a real season again, and it is past time for the Senate to act on our legislation and bring relief to our fishermen.”

The announcement came from NOAA Fisheries. It was also announced that the charter for-hire season will be 46 days. The recreational fishing season will run from June 1 to June 10 at 12:01 am local time. The charter for-hire season will run from June 1 to July 17 at 12:01 am local time.

Last year, Congressman Byrne guided reforms through the House that would give Gulf states more control over setting the Red Snapper season. The reforms, included in the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Act, would:

• Repeal the inflexible quotas for the Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper fishery
• Extend state water boundaries for each Gulf state to nine nautical miles
• Remove data collection and stock assessments from federal control.