Snapper season set for federal waters

Federal authorities have announced dates for the 2015 Gulf of Mexico snapper season – a total of ten days for recreational fishermen and 44 days for charter boat operators catering to the recreational trade.

Louisiana is already in the midst of its own state-set red snapper season, which opened in March but continues until further notice. The contradiction is related to an on-going dispute between Louisiana and the National Marine Fisheries Service; The state claims a three-league or nine-mile territorial limit for fishing purposes while the federal government only recognizes a three-mile state limit.

The federal season affecting most anglers will run from June 1 to 11. The federal season for charter operators also begins June 1 and ends July 15.

After those close dates, anglers in possession of red snapper beyond the state’s federally-recognized three-mile limit could be subject to penalties, if they are boarded by the Coast Guard, by NOAA enforcement officers, or any other federal agency.

The border issue has its roots in a resolution by the U.S. Supreme Court issued 55 years ago, which declared unequivocally that Louisiana’s state waters end at three miles from shore. In most cases, however, red snapper are found beyond that three-mile limit.

Legal experts have said the only Louisiana could effectively change that is through federal legislation, but lawmakers have been slow to respond. Almost.

U.S. Senator David Vitter has introduced legislation – limited to the issues surrounding the fisheries – that would allow, if passed, for Gulf of Mexico states to exercise greater control of their fisheries overall.

“The 2015 red snapper 10-day season clearly shows that the current federal system is not working. Four million anglers in the Gulf agree that we need to trust our States to have more control over red snapper management,” Vitter said after learning of the federal season announcement. “Recreational fishing plays a major role in the daily lives of many Louisianians, and I will continue to fight for Gulf fishermen, tackle shops, boat retailers, and the surrounding communities to get their fair share of the Gulf’s bountiful red snapper.”

Earlier this year, Vitter introduced the Red Snapper Management Improvement Act, legislation that would grant the Gulf States regional management authority of the red snapper fishery in the Gulf of Mexico upon their joint agreement on a management plan.

The fishery for the most part is overseen by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, one of eight federally appointed boards drawing their authority from the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the law which oversees the nation’s fisheries.

Vitter’s legislation, S105 introduced Jan. 7, currently languishes in a Senate committee.

Even as they have continued restricting the length of seasons, federal officials have increased the maximum catch permitted anglers and commercial fishermen.

For this year, the total allowable catch for red snapper has been raised from 11 million pounds to 14.3 million.