Recreational
Fishing for Red Snapper in LA Waters to Close on Oct. 31,
2005
Posted:
10/26/05
The recreational
fishery for red snapper in Louisiana waters will close at
midnight on Oct. 31, 2005.
The red
snapper fishery in the Gulf of Mexico is cooperatively managed
by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF),
the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LWFC) and
the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) with advice from
the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Gulf Council).
Regulations promulgated by NMFS are applicable in waters of
the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the U.S., which in Louisiana
is generally three miles offshore.
NMFS has
put into place a regulatory amendment under the framework
procedure of the reef fish fishery management plan. The amendment
establishes a recreational red snapper quota equal to the
recreational allocation and authorizes the closure of the
fishery for the remainder of the calendar year in Federal
waters of the Gulf of Mexico when the quota is reached or
is projected to be reached.
The Gulf
Council recommended to NMFS that the 2005 recreational quota
for red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico be set at 4.47 million
pounds. NMFS responded by closing the recreational fishing
season for red snapper effective midnight Oct. 31, 2005 until
April 21, 2006 by reducing the bag limit to zero in the EEZ
off of Louisiana for that time period. The seasonal framework
established by NMFS and the Council is intended to maintain
recreational harvest within the allowable catch limits established
for the species.
The LWFC
has enacted a closure in Louisiana state waters consistent
with the EEZ closure which is preferable as it assists in
enforcement of fishery rules.
Effective
with the recreational red snapper season closure, no person,
except those who possess a Class 1 or Class 2 commercial red
snapper license issued by NMFS under the Federal Fishery Management
Plan for the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish and who are legally
taking red snapper during an open commercial season, shall
possess any red snapper whether taken from within or without
Louisiana territorial waters.
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