NOAA seeks public comment on new red snapper fishing rules

NOAA Fisheries is asking for public comment on a proposed rule that would add long-term recreational accountability measures for red snapper.

The proposed rule is to address overfishing of red snapper.

The first accountability measure would establish a recreational annual catch target which would be 20 percent less than the recreational quota.

Projected recreational seasons would be based on the annual catch target rather than the quota.

NOAA Fisheries says that lowers the chances of exceeding the red snapper quota in any given year from 50 percent to 15 percent.

The second accountability measure would be an overage adjustment to apply as long as the red snapper population is considered overfished.

If the recreational quota is exceeded in one year the recreational quota would be reduced the next year by the amount of the overage.

Similar recreational red snapper accountability measures were put in place for the 2014 recreational red snapper season through an emergency rule but that rule only applied to the 2014 fishing season.

The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on November 21^st, and the comment period ends December 22^nd. 

http://live.oysterradio.com/