According to the report this approval moves closer to final plan for red snapper. Holly Binns, manager for the Pew Environment Group’s Campaign to End Overfishing in the Southeast, said that the situation is not favourable for many imperiled fish species in the South Atlantic region. So the Council has taken a much-needed step to put nine species of snapper and grouper on the road to recovery.
It is informed that the Amendment 17-B protects Warsaw grouper and speckled hind, which are critically endangered and snowy grouper, which is vulnerable to extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Binns further said that these protections are necessary to reduce the large number of red snapper that are caught unintentionally when fishermen target other species.
He told that red snapper are at just three percent of a sustainable population level – a result of overfishing that has continued for decades. This is a species in critical condition and it is past time to find the proper course of treatment. It is expected that the Council rethinks its strategy and strengthens the red snapper recovery plan when it reconvenes in March and approves measures that will help stop accidental catches.
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council voted 8 to 5 on Friday to approve Amendment 17B, which helps end overfishing of nine species, including the critically endangered Warsaw grouper and speckled hind. It also protects snowy grouper, which is vulnerable to extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
