A Little More Coastal Turmoil

Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper Update

Representatives from the recreational fishing community recently met for their second in-person meeting to plan strategies for addressing current and future Gulf of Mexico red snapper management challenges. The two-day meeting, facilitated by Florida State University’s FCRC Consensus Center, produced consensus positions on two timely issues facing federal fishery managers – regional management and the potential creation of a private recreational advisory panel. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, the body charged with developing fishery management plans for the region’s federal waters, met January 25-28, in Orange Beach, Ala. At its meeting, the Council deferred action on both regional management and the potential creation of a private recreational advisory panel. ASA supported these decisions.

> back to top

Profiting From the Gulf Red Snapper Catch Share System

Gulf of Mexico red snapper received a high degree of media attention recently when AL.com released an article published as part of an investigative series on the commercial catch share system for Gulf red snapper. In it, the author reveals the high profits that a relatively small number of commercial catch shareholders gain from selling shares of this public resource that they were gifted by the federal government