This just came across my desk:
NOAA does it again: (Conservation Front)
2011 Gulf Red Snapper Quota Exceeded - No chance for Fall season
Report from the Texas National Fisheries meetings provided by Capt Zales in an email last night.
From: Bob Zales
Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 2011 9:30 PM
Subject: fall red snapper rec season
Importance: High
It appears that the rec red snapper quota for 2011 will be over by 500,000 to 1,000,000 lbs, including the 345,000 we were provided from the underage last year. There will be no fall season and you can look for fewer days than 48 next year in the rec season. The avg size for this year is 6.3 lbs which is .5 lbs larger than projected. More info will follow later in the week. Captain Bob Zales
Captain Thomas Hilton
Interesting to note that the NMFS is using MFRSS data, which they have acknowledged is fatally flawed and not designed for this purpose, to determine that due to our "effort compensation" that we were somehow able to catch 4.2 to 4.8 million pounds. When asked by Pamela Dana about the specifics on how they arrived at those numbers, Roy and his numbers boy stuttered and stammered and couldn't answer her. Should be interesting to see what they come up with.
For years, we fished under a 192 day season, 4.5 million pounds TAC.
This year we had a 48 day season and still somehow caught 4.2 to 4.8 million pounds, (avg 4.5 million pounds)!
IT'S A MIRACLE!
No, sadly, it's just a tragic deception put on us Gulf fishermen, the American people, and the American economy. The facts are that the offshore fishing community is smaller than it was in years past, and it is physically impossible to catch the same poundage in 25% of the normal time alloted. Capt. Thomas J Hilton
NOAA does it again! Bob Harbison Native Florida Recreational Fisherman
