Duval Times

On Thursday, U.S. Congressman John H. Rutherford and 22 House colleagues addressed a letter to NOAA Administrator Richard Spinrad. The letter opposes proposed bottom closures and shorter red snapper seasons for recreational anglers in the South Atlantic.

The letter was cosigned by Reps. Aaron Bean, Nancy Mace, Garret Graves, Gus Bilirakis, Russell Fry, Buddy Carter, Bruce Westerman, Daniel Webster, Jeff Duncan, Austin Scott, Byron Donalds, Maria Elvira Salazar, Ralph Norman, Anna Paulina Luna, Mario Diaz-Balart, Michael Waltz, Neal Dunn, David Rouzer, Mike Collins, Scott Franklin, Carlos Gimenez and Laurel Lee.

The group urged NOAA to hold off on any area closures or major management decisions until the completion of the South Atlantic Great Red Snapper Count and other data collection programs. "Over the last twelve years," said Rutherford in his statement. "I have heard repeatedly from local anglers that they see more red snapper off the coast of Northeast Florida than they ever have seen before."

In their letter to Administrator Spinrad, they expressed concerns over advancing a Secretarial Amendment that would change red snapper management in the South Atlantic. They emphasized that current data is insufficient for supporting area closures due to potential economic impacts on states involved.

"While we agree that our fisheries must be managed in a sustainable way," they wrote. "We currently lack sufficient data to support area closures." They cited recent statements from NOAA suggesting that recreational data estimates could be inaccurate by as much as 40 percent.

Efforts over the past 12 years have reportedly been successful in rebuilding red snapper stocks according to scientific information indicating strong recruitment of young fish recently. The abundance of red snapper has led to increased discards during out-of-season encounters which affects fishermen negatively despite compliance with rules.

Red snapper seasons contribute significantly to coastal economies; a six-day season in 2018 added $13 million to regional GDP. Any reduction in season length reduces this economic benefit while closures could severely impact coastal economies reliant on fishing industries.

The letter concludes with an appeal for secretarial management decisions regarding red snapper fisheries based on comprehensive science and upcoming independent data from studies like the Great Red Snapper Count expected next year.

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