Thanks Overstreet for that info. It was interesting to read. However, I have to say that none of those studies are independent studies, one is anecdotal from a scientist who also happened to be a fisherman, and another was commissioned by Florida Sportsman Magazine.
There are a few factors to keep in mind. When we talk about tons of fish being caught,.....size needs to be part of the equation. Also some people may have improved fishing methods or know where the larger populations live.
Anyway, I did come across something that would be far more problematic than a 6 month ban,........and I do think that would cause a very distinct problem to our fisheries that are so important to our economy:
orlandosentinel.com/news/local/volusia/orl-snapper-grouper-fishing-closure-100709,0,1529309.story
OrlandoSentinel.com
Broad fishing ban would be 'devastating,' captains say
Federal officials want snapper, grouper closure for up to 35 years
Ludmilla Lelis
Sentinel Staff Writer
8:17 PM EDT, October 6, 2009
Before a proposed ban on red snapper was even decided, a more-drastic proposal is causing fear in Florida's fishing industry:
a full-scale closure of all grouper and snapper off the south Atlantic for up to 35 years.The latest proposal would require a massive closure area covering the bottom-fishing grounds from South Carolina to Cape Canaveral and affecting 73 different fish species.
The proposed shutdown would mark the end of the fishing industry and would devastate every business tied to it -- from boating to restaurants to tourism, said Jimmy Hull, a longtime fisherman and owner of Hull's Seafood in Ormond Beach.
Florida's recreational-fishing industry alone is worth $16.7 billion a year, according to the last federal study.
"This is a crucial battle, and the stakes have never been higher," Hull said.
Federal officials developed the broader ban after deciding that its earlier proposal of a short-term red-snapper ban wouldn't be enough to save the treasured fish and other species considered overfished.
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, the federal body that proposes new fishing regulations, is considering the broader regulation for 15 to 30 years.
"We know these alternatives are going to have significant economic impacts, but the council must end overfishing -- and long-term, that's a good thing," said Council Chairman Duane Harris. "But there will certainly be huge consequences to recreational and commercial fishing communities. There doesn't appear to be any way to avoid these consequences while ending overfishing for red snapper."
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration could announce by the end of the month whether to ban all red snapper fishing for six months, which could be extended up to a year.
The large-scale closure, if approved, could take effect sometime next year, but it faces a potential lawsuit from fishing groups such as the Fishing Rights Alliance, which sued the government over a grouper closure in the Gulf of Mexico. Public meetings are scheduled in Florida in November.
The proposal, being considered by the council at its December meeting in North Carolina, would close bottom fishing in waters from 90 feet out to 200 miles deep. There are some variations: The smallest proposed-ban area would cover about 8,100 square miles of ocean and the largest ban would cover 26,600 square miles of ocean.
According to a federal fishing study, the red snapper is overfished, down to 3 percent of a healthy stock. Scientists have found the red snapper population lacks the larger, older fish which are key to the fish's reproductive capacity and its future.
Hull, who leads a local chapter of the Southeastern Fisheries Association, said the science is flawed and doesn't reflect what local captains see from their boats. This summer, several captains have enjoyed some of the best red snapper seasons seen in decades.
For example, John Weeks, owner of the Seafood Shoppe in St. Augustine, said he's seen grouper catches increase steadily over the past five years and the boats supplying his shop have caught 8,000 pounds to 10,000 pounds of red snapper in just the past two weeks.
"I fished in the 1970s and 1980s and very seldom did you catch red snapper," Weeks said. "The fish is coming back." Even the federal fishing studies acknowledge the higher catches in recent years, which may lead to a smaller closure area and a shorter time span, but it might not be enough to curtail the ban.
Hull also challenges the idea that red snapper has been overfished. He and other fishermen tried to dispel the federal finding with their own scientific study, but federal scientists stuck with their own data.
"If it was so overfished, for so many years, we wouldn't be able to catch any now," he said.
His group even hired a consultant, Frank Hester, who had a career in fisheries and has a doctorate in marine biology. Hester found that the federal assessment used outdated information and that the data does show that current limits on red snapper are working.
A broad closure, Hull said, "would completely finish us, and it will be devastating."
Ludmilla Lelis can be reached at
llelis@orlandosentinel.com or 386-253-0964.
Public meetings Public hearings on the full-scale closure of grouper and snapper fishing will be held throughout the Southeast, including these two meetings: 3 to 7 p.m. on Nov. 11 at the Radisson Resort at the Port, Cape Canaveral 3 to 7 p.m. on Nov. 12 at the Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront, Jacksonville
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