NOAA to fund independent survey of Gulf red snapper population

 The federal government is going to take a closer look at the Gulf of Mexico red snapper population.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said this month that it will provide a competitive grant to fund an independent survey of the red snapper population, which should result in a more accurate estimate of the Gulf red snapper population and possibly lead to more fishing access.

The grant will provide $9.5 million dollars to fund innovative ways to more accurately count red snapper in the Gulf.

Many recreational fishermen think that NOAA’s assessment of the population underestimates the true abundance of Gulf red snapper which is keeping fishing at historically low levels.

The 2016 red snapper season is set at just nine days in federal waters of the Gulf.

If the results show more snapper than NOAA has been estimating, the agency could use the data in determining things like total allowable catch and the length of the recreational fishing season.

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