Loretta Davis spends more of her time in writing letters than fishing. She told that the letters have been in response to recent federal fisheries regulations affecting their business, some that have now been adopted and others currently proposed. She told that new regulations for the South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper Fishery take effect Wednesday July 29, and the measures to reduce overfishing include closed seasons and harvest reductions on both the recreational and commercial side.
Davis also told that several bus charters that would have brought fishermen to the area in the fall to fish on their head boat have canceled. She told that the authority has canceled because they’ve heard of this amendment. Among the Amendment 16 provisions are a November through March prohibition on the recreational harvest of vermilion snapper and a slash in the bag limit for the fish to five fish per day per person, which is half of what can now be caught.
NOAA Fisheries Service is seeking public comment through Aug. 5 on a proposed rule to implement interim management measures to reduce overfishing of red snapper in the South Atlantic until permanent measures can be developed and implemented in Amendment 17A to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region. It is informed that the proposed rule would implement a prohibition on recreational and commercial harvest of red snapper for 180 days with the possibility of extending the interim measures for an additional 186 days, according to NOAA information.
