Fishery Council Approves Red Snapper Ban

WFTV-TV ^ | 9-June-2010 | Staff

[VeniVidiVici]

ORLANDO, Fla -- Fishermen will be prohibited from catching red snapper and some other snapper and grouper species in the southeast Atlantic in a nearly 5,000-square-mile zone off the coasts of Georgia and Florida under a measure passed by a federal fisheries management council Wednesday.

Members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council voted 9-4 in favor of the ban which supporters hope eventually will restore the red snapper's population over the next three decades.

Opponents, though, doubt studies showing that the population is overfished and said Florida fishermen already have been squeezed by restrictions in the Gulf of Mexico due to the BP oil spill.

Wednesday's vote extends for an indeterminate time an interim red snapper ban that was to expire in December.

Opponents said the council at least should have waited to pass the measure until December, when...

[green iguana]

It bans gardens & all the raising of “anything Mother Nature” provides.

Pray tell - where in the bill does it do those two things? I've read most of the bill and various synopsis of it. While it contains a lot of objectionable stuff, I've seen nothing along those lines.

[pburgh01]

Well King Mackerel is only barely edible (at least in my book) so maybe we can keep after them

Ok you need to steak them, marinate in Italian dressing for 12 hours, then on the grill. Has the texture of tuna. If you fillet and broil them, then yes the meat gets kinda mushy and a little on the strong side. And skip the smokers(fish over 30lbs) they have worms and the meat is awful, a 36 incher is about perfect.

My favorite is nice black grouper, deep fried on a kaiser roll with lettuce, mater and spicy mayo..wasn't that a Jimmy Buffet song....hehe

[kitchen]

What, you don’t like the fish from China? You know, the stuff grown in sewage lagoons.

[southernnorthcarolina]

Well, I guess I'd better get these out of the way:

"All your snapper are belong to us."

and

"When snappers are outlawed, only outlaws will have snappers."

[freebird5850]

That happens up here in Puget Sound too. They puke up their stomach. BAAAAARRRRRFFFFFFF!

[OB1kNOb]

Does this apply to all fishermen, commercial and recreational?

[massgopguy]

Yes, they are called Leadfish.

[SgtHooper]

Exactly my sentiments. IMHO there is no dispute that over-fishing is a problem. But if the other dam countries don’t respect that, here we go again (like the oil drilling debacle). The chicoms eat any and all things, so try tell them to back off a bit. Good luck!

[FoxInSocks]

So the ban is for 30 freaking years? I scanned the article and never actually saw a time limit.

I think it's actually worse than that: "Wednesday's vote extends for an indeterminate time an interim red snapper ban."

I suppose there will now have to be a proactive movement to lift the ban, as opposed to a reevaluation to extend it again.

[Justa]

if you reel in a snapper (from about 60 feet down), they have some sort of embolism.

In FL they have to be vented before releasing. A hollow needle is used in the side. Then they can swim back down. If they die, they still have to be thrown back. I suppose it's to discourage fishing them in the first place.

[OB1kNOb]

I don’t know how you do it in the South, but out here, if you reel in a snapper (from about 60 feet down), they have some sort of embolism. You're right! I caught snapper in Monterey Bay once and once out of the water he looked to have had a bad time with the pressure change.

We fished off the coast at Gulf Shores Alabama in early April. I found a pamphlet at the pier that showed this pressure problem with deep water fish caused by reeling them in too quickly from deep water. It gave instructions on how to use a needle inserted behind the side fin to puncture the snapper's float and relieve the air pressure that causes the fish's stomach to protrude out of its mouth. It said the fish can survive this procedure and be returned safely to the water. BTW - my s-i-l caught a 20 pound red snapper and then had to release it because it was out of season - wah!

[Texas resident]

The previous limitations on snapper have applied to everyone. Pretty sure this one will also. What’s strange is that the feds fight like hell to get the snapper off limits but other species not so much. Plus a lot of good locations for snapper is near the oil rigs. Ok here we go with the tinfoil hat thing here. Ban drilling offshore and ban fishing around the drilling rigs? No more fishing boats near the rigs to see what’s going on?
Twilight Zone theme music going.

[Danae]

Exactly. And with the Farm bill they control all the farming land, and distribution. Joy.

Its time to literally cut the Federal Government to the BONE. Get them the HELL out of our lives. They HAVE NO RIGHT.

[OB1kNOb]

Ok here we go with the tinfoil hat thing here. Ban drilling offshore and ban fishing around the drilling rigs? No more fishing boats near the rigs to see what’s going on?

Didn't they call out a Fed SWAT team or something to investigate just after the rig exploded? Hmmmm.....you may be on to something. In this BizarroWorld nowadays, you never know. ;-)

[eleni121]

I suggest that men take a trip to Mt Athos and enjoy as much fish as they like.

Delicious fish at Athos

[rlmorel]

Ping for later. I swear he is deliberately trying to push the country towards open revolt.

[Texas resident]

Check out the Glenn Beck thread. Similar thoughts there.

[chemicalman]

I don't think I've ever been this angry before in my entire life.

You and me both.

A couple months before Horizons explosion, some friends and I were fishing at a rig and we chummed a huge school of red snapper to the surface. They were slapping the surface of the water with the pogie pieces we were throwing at them. Yep...red snapper population are depleted...stupid fishery council.
Won't be seeing that for a long time to come.

[Caipirabob]

I don’t recognize their authority. No one else should either.

[screaminsunshine]

Screw the whole damn Government and all their BS! Up theirs!