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Red snapper limits: Do you think the state of Florida should adopt stricter red snapper fishing limits in the Gulf of Mexico?
Comment: There are already enough regualations on the books. If the population of snapper is so low, then why are the fisherman trying to keep from catching too many to stay within the legal limit now? It's a farce, that will only hurt the Northwest Florida economy further. from Pensacola Florida by Christine
Comment: If the numbers are correct and the shrimpers are killing 80% of the juvenile red snapper and this, I assume,has been occuring for years why is Florida thinking about addressing the problem by imposing lower harvest limits on the recreational fishermen. The problem is the shrimpers and even Stevie Wonder can see that. I am surprised though, this sounds just like an Alabama solution to any problem we have over here !
from mobile, al. by barry
Comment: no the state should not adopt the stricter limits how do the scienctist know the numbers out there have them explain their methods they are just poor fishermen
how can they even think they know how many fish are out there do they have them mail in a census might explain why they think there is so few from pensacola by david
Comment: The data is outdated and incorrect and the methods of collecting the data are seriously flawed. There is ample video of area reefs that clearly refutes the "scientists" claims.
from Pensacola, FL by Jim
Comment: The NMFS and FWC have based all this on data that was designed to predict fishing trends.
We the REEF FISH RESTORATION ASSOCIATION went over two years ago with several idea's in which our community and surrounding areas and suggested alternatives to building a better fishery, creating a platform for exact data and creating essential fish habitat. All have been grossly ignored.
We offered to create a marine reserve area on sandy featureless bottom derived from artificial reefs and allowing science to have a controlled environment and allow fish to reach maximum spawning potential.
They said great idea but we dont have the money to enforce it.
We offered a Reef Fish stamp to know exactly how many people are fishing for reef fish also it would provide funding for essential fish habitat and law enforcement.
We offered to place near shore inshore bay habitat.
All have gone unnoticed.
Its easy to shut a fishery down but it takes a little work to fix one and we are willing to help.
Thanks
Capt. Paul Redman
from PENSACOLA by CAPT. PAUL
Comment: The State should stay status quo on red snapper and all other species of fish.The State has to look out for the people of this State that fish recreationally and for hire, therefore the State should not follow the Federal guidelines. P>S> the data is grossly WRONG !!! from Fort Walton ,FL by Aaron
Comment: Keep first 4 fish above 15". May keep the throw backs from the dolphins. from Pensacola, FL. by Win
Comment: I think the regulations should at the very least be re-evaluated.
We as a society seem to put money over the longterm effects of what we do to our environment.
Make sure the guidelines keep the oceans safe for all its marine life so generations to come can appreciate it. Not just those who make their money on it now!
Comment: Breed Snapper to release. Have new rules on nets. from Milton,Fl by Alex
Comment: How does further depletion of a valuable resource make economic sense? Cutback today, so there is a tomorrow. from Pensacola, FL by Timothy
Comment: I have a small boat and fish in the gulf.Other areas may not have fish but this area does.If state regulators want to increase the snaper population in this area build more reefs and make it easer to build private reefs. from crestview fl by wayne
Comment: I would also like to see a poll done for those that vote if they actually are fisherman or just going on what they hear about the Red Snapper population being depleted. We need more programs for building reefs. from Crestview, Fl by Debbie
Comment: Just another example of government agencies who think they know better than the people they SERVE. from Milton, FL by Jay
Comment: they should do away with the Restricted Species Endorsement for the Commercial Fisheries from pen. fl by john
Comment: The commission does not know what it is doing. Catch limit should remain at 4 per person per day. Size limit should be set at 14" to 18". This would prevent poor sportsfishermen from taking a legal snapper out of the cooler to keep a larger (breeding) snapper. Also for every snapper thrown back, few make it to the bottom, due to dolphin eating them within the first 30'. from Pensacola, Fl. by Archie
Comment: Stats show that even with the current federal regulations in place, there will not be enough marine life (i.e. snapper) to support our current recreational and commercial fishing rate! Of course, the commercial fisherman are going to fight this! They are abviously driven by profit and are thinking in the now....they should take a breath and remember that "conservation" is going to insure that we have Snapper in the waters to fish in the future! NOT ENOUGH SNAPPER; NO COMMERCIAL FISHING; NO PROFIT. So, what choice do we have?? We should be thankful that SOMEONE is out there counting fish!!!!! from Pensacola, FL by Janice
Comment: iam a native of pcola and have fished in the gulf all my life the only problem with restrictions is, once you pull the fish from the bottom and snapper are bottom feeders the fish is dead once you get it to the top and you dont know what you got till you get it to the top so what are we suppose to do throw back a dead fish? it doesnt make sense when it could feed your family. times are hard. from pensacola by susan
Comment: lololol! i say let the idiots fish themselves out of a job! place no limits on the amount of fish and size. in a few years, they'll be bankrupt, sold their boats, and trying to find another job somewhere...like walmart! i cannot believe the arrogance of the "fishing" industry around here. all i hear is i'm going to lose money, people won't come back here, i have never heard them say anything about conserving or anything long term to alleviate the problem! see this is what i mean about the education around here. they all pray for answers to their problems, not scientific solutions... from pensacola by h
Comment: Not being a "fish-eater", I can honestly care less. However, given a choice, I have to say no. The state should not be involved in trying to legislate out in the Gulf; they have a hard enough time legislating here on tera firma. On the other hand, it should be up to the fishing fleet to be able to legislate themselves "on the high seas". Commonsense should indicate whether we have enough to go around or not. from Mary Esther, FL. by Tom
Comment: Florida should regulate fish limits by zones. In Northwest Florida we do not have Red Snapper shortage. In other areas of Florida maybe they do. from Milton, FL by Rodney
Comment: This is ludicrous. There are more ARS in the gulf than this "study" shows and adopting this federal measure for State waters is just another way that our government wants to regulate everything you do. What's next to be overfished according to the feds?...
"They would also adopt new rules for shrimpers, whose nets, by some estimates, kill as much as 80 percent of each year's class of juvenile red snappers" from Pensacola, FL by Mike
Comment: This is an ill advised knee jerk reaction from pace by gary
Comment: they're so thick right now on most spots you can't get bait thru them to the grouper. from Fl by George
Comment: The 6.5 million pound TAC is already taking the regulations of Texas and Florida into account. Further restrictions are unwarranted, un-needed, and un-wanted. from Arcola, TX by Tom
Comment: Bad "Science" is worse than none at all. from Pensacola/ Fl by Doug
Comment: I am all for protecting our fisheries, but the methodology currently be used to collect our data is flawed and outdated.
Congressman Jeff Miller's letter and comments on this matter say it all! from Pace Fl by Jeff
Comment: the state needs to be broken into different regions. we have plenty of snapper here, tampa does not. well tampa has snook and we do not. should we have a tighter season and bag limit on snook? it only seems fair. from cantonment/fl by Scott
Comment: They will never change the regs back. Also it will put more pressure on ever other speci. out there. from milton, fl by ty
Comment: there is to many out there. as divers we know, we see they just gulp up alot of other fish from gulf breeze by linda
Comment: There are questions about the validity of the research data and conclusions that the Federal limit decisions have been based on. Artificial Reefs have not been included in habitat samples. The favorable impact of a strongly supported artificial reef program has not been factored in either. The limits will have a negative financial impact on tourism, which has also not been adequately considered. from Navarre, FL by Mark
Comment: SNAPPER ARE IN SUCH ABUNDANCE THAT A FISHERMAN CANNOT CATCH ANYTHING BUT RED SNAPPER ON ALL OUR ARTIFICAL/NATURAL REEFS, EVEN WHEN TARGETING OTHER SPECIES. from PENSACOLA/FL by CHRISTOPHER
Comment: The Red Snapper are taking over all the artificial reefs. There may be a shortage down South but not in the Northern of NorthWestern Gulf areas. All data they use is old and obsolete. from PENSACOLA, FL by RUSTY
Comment: One of my biggest problems with these proposed regulations is the manner in which the data is collected that these decisions are based upon. The data supposedly shows a shortage of snapper but it is only taken from natural bottom areas. If these scientists would go to ANY man made wreck in the northern Gulf, they would see that not only are snapper a plentifull, they are becomming a nuisance when trying to target other species. Also, of course there is a "shortage" of red snapper in South Florida, the same that there is a "shortage" of snook in our area. There are more red snapper around now that there have ever been and if the law makers would get out of bed with the commercial fisherman and open their eyes, life would be much better. The state economy is going to take a big hit, from tourists not coming to pump money into local businesses. from Pensacola, FL by Jake
Comment: if you had fished anywhere in the gulf (or bay for that matter)you wouldn't say that anecdotal stories don't cut it. they are overrunning every wreck I've fished in the last 5 years from pensacola by brian
Comment: The national Marine Fisheries is using Flawed Data to determine fish stocks. from Molino Florida by Chris
Comment: it should be done regionally because there are more red snapper here than in other parts of the states from Gulf Breeze,FL by James
Comment: The rules should be regionalized from Pensacola, FL by Craig
Comment: Florida should look at the Panhandle seperate than lower FL it is a different fisheries. from Pensacola, FL by Charles
Comment: The data NMFS has is flawed and inaccurate. Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. poroved that by voting no to their proposition. The Red Snapper stocks are not in as bad of shape as they say. The issue at hand in my opinion is commercial fishing. That should be stopped for ALL species. from Nederland/Texas by Joe
Comment: Tell the feds and the enviros to back off, we are not giving up our right to fish!
THIS IS WAR! from GULF OF MEXICO by m
Comment: Tell the feds and the enviros to back off, we are not giving up our right to fish!
THIS IS WAR!
CCA, The Ocean Consevancy, Gulf Restoration Network - get ready for a nasty fight. You have infiltrated the system with bad science and lies, that is all going to change my friends. Hide and watch! from GULF OF MEXICO by m
Comment: The regulations and information they're based on are old and innaccurate. We continue to kill too many snapper and feed them to dolphins. Seriously flawed science. from Gulf Breeze, FL by Doug
Comment: I think this matter is best left to the indivual states, the federal government has already demonstrated it is unable to handle this issue ! from Hallettsville, Texas by Ted
Comment: Non existent science makes for terrible regulations. Perhaps someone should consider the gigo acronym. from Pensacola, Florida by Richard
Comment: It's not just the charter boats but the recreational fisher also. from pensacola, fl by alex
Comment: There is no shortage of Snapper. from Pensacola, Florida by Susan
Comment: Federal laws are based on incorrect or no science. from Pt.O'Connor, TX by Mark
Comment: Fished this last weekend and snapper were not a problem to find. Biggest was over 25 pounds. from Milton, Fl by Nick
Comment: Why should the Feds Regulate the states. from Houston,tx by Kevin
Comment: The limits should be based on areas not Florida as a whole from Milton Florida by Ray
Comment: Lets see some of this data and explain how it was complied and WHO is in charge of gathering this information. from pensacola by james
Comment: Yes, the government should make a law to save the rednapper and if it means going from 4to2 fish and a shorten season so what!Why, is it that men kind never can see the best in life, till its gone then we can never bring it back! from Jay,Fl. by Barbara
Comment: Its the charter boats killing the recreational TAC limits they(charters) should be counted as commercial fishery and not recreational...,charter (for hire) vessels make up 59% of the "Recreational TAC" allowed limit...So for private Florida residents who liked to catch their 4 recreational snapper,you can thank the charter boat industry and out of state residents for that.. from pcola by jim
Comment: The shortage is not up in the NW part of the state. Fishing is vastly different up here than it is from Tampa down. We are currently undergoing a tragedy as there are more red snapper out there than any other species of fish. When such an inbalance occurs, other species die off. from Gulf Breeze, FL by Michele
Comment: We have invited NMFS to come out on our boats to see the over-population for themselves. They have declined repeatedly. We have cameras that we can send down to the wrecks and they can get a video feed and see for themselves. They do not want to see. from Gulf Breeze, FL by Dalton
Comment: Why not first start with the shrimpers. If their nets kill an estimated 80 percent of juveniles, sounds like this could be the problem. by Jeremy
Comment: These guys spend more on their boats than most people spend on their houses. They spend enough on electronics to send a child to college. How is mother nature supposed to compete with that? They say make more man made reefs to help the fish then they put the location of said man made reef into their $5000 GPS and try to wipe out everything that swims around that reef every chance they get.Man needs to stop trying to commecialize nature it just wont work. from pensacola by dave
Comment: shut down the shrimper's. They are killing 80% of the juvenile snapper? Wow there is your answer to increase numbers right there! from PENSACOLA,FL by DAVID
Comment: I know they are trying to maintain the stock but they're going about it the wrong way. You (place dolphine here) kill 20-25 fish for every one you keep. I don't remember the last time I went to the Gulf and didn't bring up a snapper, even when I'm trying not to target them, doesn't sound endangered to me. from Pensacola by Edgar
Comment: Regulations are great, however, educated realistic regualtions that are based on specific regional studies are even better. People that fish are local waters can actually account for the #s we have and not the people in the capital or a biologist doing research elsewhere in our state. from Pensacola, FL by Mark
Comment: How about Ch 3 educate instead of propagate information. How about starting with interveiwing the RFRA or some of the researchers at UWF working with the red snapper. DONT BE PART OF THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA PROBLEM BE PART OF THE SOLUTION>>>>>>>>>>>>> from Pensacola by Bob
Comment: I feel Government need to back off this one. They are going to impact area and state revenues. If they pass stricter fishing limits, the state is going to negatively affect charter boat businesses, hotels and resorts, and tourism in general. from Fort Walton Beach by Gary
Comment: Legal size should be reduced. Survival of the throwbacks is poor because of porpoise predation. You have to see it to believe it. from Pensacola, FL by John
Comment: I think the limits should stay
the same as they are now. I also agree that the shrimpers
are the ones that are killing
the baby snappers along with
many other species of fish. Why can't something be done to
them? from Pensacola, Fl. by Carol
Comment: there is proof that red snapper are all over the reefs from fl/pensacola by ben
Comment: the new restriction are based on inaccurate data. the gulf off of your shore line are field with snapper. if these restriction go through it will take a big bite out of our tourism. from molino,fl by martin
Comment: There is no shortage of Red Snapper in the Gulf. You can catch them any day any time of the year. The limit should stay the same. from Pensacola, Florida by Josh
Comment: Cut commercial limits and allow the recreationals 4 fish
and 12 month season from rockport texas by jim
Comment: The guidelines set out by the NMFS are bogas at best. Studies are flawed. The studies are only done over natural habitat using trolling nets over natural bottoms areas. These guys don not even take into consideration the Snapper that are on all the reefs , rigs , boats ....... This is crazy as most Snapper prefer the reefs over the limited amount of of natural bottom in the Gulf. I could go on and on about how the NMFS studies are flawed. If the PETA lovin researchers at the NMFS have their way they will shut down all fishing period. from Pensacola by Arthur
Comment: The "science" is flawed. One needs to dive on the public reefs and you can see the snapper population for yourself from Pensacola by Shawn
Comment: Their research data is a joke! They need to make regions in FL and develop regulations that benefeit that particular regions no the whole state. from Pensacola, FL by Capt. Josh
Comment: Snapper population are on the upswing since 2005 from Mary Esther by James
Comment: The NMFS has bad data in and gets bad data out.
They do not include any man made reefs or oil rigs in their data.
Most "Good" fisherman know that structure is the key to fish populations.
NMFS members have been repeatedly asked to come on board with the fisherman and see for themselves "free of charge" and they have yet to take anyone up on this.
They just sit behind a desk and collect a Government check. from Pensacola,Fl. by Bobby
Comment: Leave it alone already, they already have all the bans on mullet fishing, these bodies of water are huge - let the people fish - if you have to have a ban, do it every two years or something. But in the meantime - let the people enjoy what we have! from Pace, Florida by Chris
Comment: You pole is tainted by uneducated news people
Comment: Anyone who thinks there is a shortage of snapper in this area has not fished here recently.
The size limit kills many fish due to the survival rate after the catch. More often than not they are eaten by waiting dolphins when released. from Milton, FL. by Frank
Comment: if half of the people in this poll actually fished, then the results would be a bit different...the ignorance of some people amazes me. from gulf breeze by john
Comment: Its the charter boats killing the recreational TAC limits they(charters) should be counted as commercial fishery and not recreational...,charter (for hire) vessels make up 59% of the "Recreational TAC" allowed limit...So for private Florida residents who liked to catch their 4 recreational snapper,you can thank the charter boat industry and out of state residents for that..dont be fooled. from Pensacola by Jeff
Comment: First, I would like to say, I think Mollye is very hot!!
The snapper population has exploded off our coast,and is harming the other reef fish that take up refuge in the natural and artificial reefs off our coast.We need more hard facts from NMFC or the State to figure out what's what before we make drastic decisions or changes. from Pensacola, FL by Mark
Comment: Stop shrimping the bycatch is 10lbs dead fish for each pound of shrimp. Shrimp can be farmed, we are killing all the juvinal fish before they get a chance to grow from Pace, Fl by Norman
Comment: The #r being taken from south florida do not depict the growth # in northwest fl.This is the snapper capital of the world. from pensacola fl by Pat
Comment: The state should outlaw shrimping in the Bays, and commercial snapper fishing should be moved out to 200 miles...... from Pensacola Florida by Kevin
Comment: i fish heavily offshore and the snapper arent endangered at all.
me and most of my friends have a hard time NOT catching them.
if they put stricter limits on snapper that will thin out the other reef fish like groupers and amberjacks. from gulf breeze fla by mark
Comment: Is the data used to make this ruling flawed? from Milton by Wayne
Comment: It's impossible to do a census of the population of red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico, probably always will be. The NMFS does a sample survey and then extrapolates. The only way to contest their estimate of the population is to find flaws in their sampling methods. From everything I've read, the NMFS does not include artificial reefs in estimating red snapper population, that's a huge flaw. A single artificial reef,depending on size, can hold hundreds of red snapper." KORNEGAY: Alabama has the largest artificial-reef-building program in the nation. If I had to guess, I would bet there are 10,000 or more man-made, artificial reefs off the coast of Alabama. These reefs are the reason we have such a tremendous salt-water fishery. Many of these reefs have been planted by the state and federal governments, but we also have a huge number of reefs that have been built by private individuals and companies. We have bridge rubble, several "Liberty" ships, 100 de-commissioned tanks, outdated voting machines, dry docks, pipes, several airplanes, boats and quite a few bridge pilings, just to name a few reefs you will find out in the Gulf." There are probably millions of red snapper on artificial reefs that the NMFS ignores in figuring their population. The big question here is how far off are the NMFS's estimates? Lower fish quotas are a lot like higher property taxes, how often are lower taxes promised and how often are they actually lowered? Just look at jewfish. I think the NMFS is making poor decisions based on really questionable data.
Any industry that can "kill as much as 80 percent of each year's class of juvenile red snappers" is having a far greater impact on snapper populations than recreational and commercial snapper fishing combined. The NMFS has known this for at least a decade. Their solution back then was to call for reductions in bycatch which were completely ignored. Their solution this time around is to call for reductions in bycatch again. It didn't work the first time, why would they expect it to work now. Meanwhile the shrimp industry carries on business as usual killing and wasting millions and millions of juvenile snapper annually. The shrimp lobby must be paying off the right people, because they still haven't faced closed areas or shortened seasons, just the threat of those possible actions at some unspecified time in the future. Why should they comply, they've gotten away with it before and will probably get away with it again. Why is it that the NWFS has always gone after recreational and commercial fishermen by increasingly smaller catch limits and increasing sizes, while doing virtually nothing to shrimpers? from Ft Walton Beach, FL by james
Comment: I think they should provide more habitat (reefs, etc,) and put a no fish on that area for a period of time if they feel they have to do something. I don't feel there is a shortage. from auburn,al. by james
Comment: all of us that chase the illusive snapper know that there is know shortage. all the gulf fisherman in this area also know there is no shortage of idiot bureaucrats that do not have a clue about our snapper situation. if they would only pay the same attention to our failed florida economy as they do trying to keep us from enjoying a day of fishing, florida would be a better state. from pensacola by david
Comment: no new snapper regs from Gulf Breeze FL by Charles
Comment: Red Snapper are so plentiful they are being caught in Pensacola Bay. from Navarre/FL by Kevin
Comment: I'm a Recreational fisherman because of work I can only fish for snapper on the weekend on average I miss 4-5 weekend's do to rain etc,I think Recreational fisherman should be seperated from the Commercial Quota, Further more this will barly help the Snapper come back Somthing must be done to the shrimp boats they destroy not only the Juvenile red snapper but every thing that get's in there way! including the bottom witch snapper need for cover.Please take the time to do a story on some shrimp boats out here show us on tv just how much they kill for our shrimp i dare you!! from Molino,FL by Michael
Comment: Stop the commercial fishermen from fishing the LARS area. only individuals and charter boats there and the population should go up tremendously. from milton by t
Comment: Comment: lololol! i say let the idiots fish themselves out of a job! place no limits on the amount of fish and size. in a few years, they'll be bankrupt, sold their boats, and trying to find another job somewhere...like walmart! i cannot believe the arrogance of the "fishing" industry around here. all i hear is i'm going to lose money, people won't come back here, i have never heard them say anything about conserving or anything long term to alleviate the problem! see this is what i mean about the education around here. they all pray for answers to their problems, not scientific solutions... from pensacola by h
Listen h
Or artist formally known as hugger of trees.
Please let your knowledge of the fishery be known. I am personally inviting you on The GULF COAST OUTDOORS show so you can voice your facts in person without hiding behind a key board.
Any time
from pensacola by Capt. Paul
Comment: NMFS claims that the red snapper population is at less than 3% of it's historic population. The problem with that is that they have no accurate data on what that historic population is. They can't even accurately assess what the current population is. And they sure can't tell you what is was 50 or 100 years ago. Dr. Bob Shipp, of the University of Alabama, is the premier expert on red snapper in the Gulf of Mexioc. His research indicates that there are more snapper now than ever. He is on the same Gulf Council, yet his voice and findings are being ignored because they do not agree with the party line. The National Science Board has found numerous and significant flaws with the population assessment conducted by and used by NMFS. In addition, there latest estimates are years old and don't take into account the severe restrictions that have taken place over the last several year. Yet they are using these flawed numbers to fix a problem that doesn't exist. In the meantime, their draconian snapper regulations are going to have a negative impact on numerous other reef fish species in the Gulf. The bottomline is that everything points to there being more snapper of the Orange Beach and Pensacola coast now than there have been. And NMFS has no clue what they are doing.
Comment: Tell Sen. Gaetz "sorry about that"...charter boats are the biggest culprit for the overfishing of red snapper and any other fish they can get their hands on. The FL Marine Patrol often bypasses checking a charter boat's catch opting for the smaller vessels. I am glad to see the guidelines being tightened...now enforce them! I have been on a charter boat twice and HATED the experience. On each occasion, the deck hands attempted to keep illegal snappers and had to be forced by me and others on the boat to throw the illegal snappers back. I cannot imagine why a charter boat would want to risk keeping an illegal snapper...customer service is not that important when the penalties are so strict. It is simple, "if you are going to play the game you have to play by the rules", so thank the few the charter boat captains for not encouraging their patrons and deck hands to follow the rules. I don't like it either, but it is the law. Happy fishing. from Pace, FL by N
Comment: I'd be willing to bet all these people that have voted "yes" have no clue what they are voting on, nor they anglers. from Pensacola by Matt
Comment: If the state does NOT go along with the feds, the feds are gonna be stricter! from Pens/Fla by J
Comment: I think we should build some more habitat to increase the snapper. that would be the best choice to help the fish and the captains. my father had a boat in destin in the late 60's and early 70's, i too remember how many reds we had back then. maybe with some better ideas we will see those numbers again! from ft walton bch. fl by phyllis
Comment: During the 1980's, I used to enjoy a meal which included selections of Red Snapper or Grouper. By the late 1990's, I couldn't find Red Snapper on the menus and saw more grouper. Later I saw less grouper and lots of other 'white' fish. This law is long overdue to help replenish the fish population in the Gulf. from Pensacola, FL by Dale
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