The council has decided to meet this week to take public comment and hear testimony from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service about whether the closure of federal waters following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill left millions of pounds of red snapper uncaught in the gulf. NOAA said that most of closed areas have been reopened to fishing where a substantial portion of the recreational red snapper catch normally occurs.
During the council’s meeting this week in Pensacola, the NOAA Fisheries Service will be providing updated information on the amount of recreational red snapper caught during the upended season and make recommendations on the length of any supple-mental season. Prior to the oil rig disaster April 20, federal regulators had already shortened the recreational red snapper season this year to 54 days — June 1 to July 24 — even shorter than last year’s abbreviated 75-day season.
NOAA informed that the red snapper season for many was cut short because of the oil spill, which might have left the red snapper quota unfilled. Local fishermen are of views that reopening the season will not only help the charter boat business, but reassure the seafood-loving public that the Gulf’s seafood is untainted with oil.
Bay County Tourist Development Council Executive Director Dan Rowe agreed saying the reopening the red snapper season this fall will do several important things for them. He said that it will reinforce the image that our beaches and waters are open for business, that the impact from the oil was minor and that our seafood is safe.
