Gulf Council Recommends Increase in Recreational Red Snapper Allowable Catch

Recreational anglers scored a minor triumph yesterday, as the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council voted to recommend an increase in our red snapper allocation from 49% to 51.5% of the total allowable catch.

The Council's vote takes a small step forward in addressing the many long-standing problems in managing the red snapper fishery, an allocation that was never set accurately.

Incredible as it may seem, today's allocation relies on data gathered when "The Blues Brothers" was first released -- from 1979 to 1986 (Jake and Elwood went on their "mission from God" back in 1980).

Red snapper stock size was at historic lows during the early 1980s, as was the recreational effort. Needless to say, the science involved in gathering data about the fishery has significantly improved in the last 30-plus years since Ronald Reagan was in the White House.

We owe a special debt of gratitude to the Gulf states' representatives on the Council, who remained steadfast in support of common sense against intense pressure by the commercial fishing and restaurant industries coordinated by the Environmental Defense Fund and their shill organizations in the Gulf.

The commercial lobby badly misled the restaurant owners, who will actually enjoy an increase of 1.34 million pounds of red snapper under the new allocation over the 2014 catch.

That's a lot of high-priced dinners out.

The Council's recommendation now goes to Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker
for review and final approval.