The management of the Gulf red snapper fishery has tested all limits of patience and sensibility. With input from recreational fishermen, the for-hire industry, commercial fishermen, environmental groups, and countless other special interests, no conclusion brings accord. There is dissention among user groups and, sadly, within user groups. But, through a careful examination of CCA’s historic participation in the management of this fishery, it is evident that the needs of the recreational angler are being well represented.

The problems in this complex fishery are not recent developments. From the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s red snapper assessments in the late 1970s to the current battles over total allowable catch (TAC) and bycatch reduction devices (BRDs), CCA continues to strive for a long-term solution that combines proper utilization of the resource with long-term stock stability. Without a healthy resource, no user group is happy.

With shorter seasons and reduced bag limits, TAC has become the catchword for red snapper in the new millennium. CCA has always supported the largest TAC and, subsequently, the longest season possible within the tight framework necessary for the proper recovery of the fishery. Without following the management methods necessary for rebuilding the fishery, there will be no recovery. In that scenario, we would face even more draconian regulations and the specter of moratoriums and closures. This would be unacceptable.

The true task at hand is to ensure a place for the recreational user group in this recovering fishery. We cannot have myopic solutions with short-term increases in the TAC or season if they lead to long-term problem in the total health of the fishery. This would only lead to further and more stringent regulation and an eventual dissipation in user group interest.

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is mandated by law to manage this fishery. The Magnuson -Stevens Act dictates rigorous parameters for the recovery of a fishery that has been deemed overfished. The state of the red snapper fishery has been a subject of countless debates. But, with the existing peer reviewed data that NMFS is using, we have the largest possible TAC and season allowed within the boundaries of the existing management plan. This does not implicitly make the management system right or easy, but it does qualify as the best possible plan we currently have in place. To enact a fundamental change, we will have to continue the unending pursuit of enhanced data and explore alternative management plans with a more obtainable biomass.

CCA has attracted a lot of attention by supporting NMFS’ current management plan. In trying to provide a stable set of red snapper regulations, CCA, through its general counsel Bob Hayes, intervened in a lawsuit in support of the current TAC and season.

“We would gladly support a twelve month season and larger TAC if the fishery could accommodate it without jeopardizing the recovery of the biomass,” said Will Ohmstede, Chairman of CCA Texas’ government affairs committee. “To think that CCA arbitrarily supports a shorter season and less recreational access is laughable.” But, at the current 9.12 million pound TAC, a twelve-month season would result in a reduced bag limit and increased size limit. As we saw last summer, this plan would do no good for any participant in the fishery or the red snapper stock.

We are very sympathetic to the south Texas charter industry’s desire for an early seasonal opening. But, an early season opener will only result in a more rapid closure. Due to the weather constraints of late winter and early spring, the amount of recreational access would likely be reduced and fewer fishermen would be able to utilize this public marine resource. This would clearly serve no one.

“If the science would show that the fishery can sustain a twelve or fifteen million pound TAC and still recover, then a twelve month season with a decent bag and size would be a reality,” said Pat Murray, Communications Director for CCA. “But, as it stands, there is not a single peer reviewed study that supports an increase of that magnitude.”

It is CCA’s tenacious support of BRDs in the Gulf shrimp trawling industry that has allowed the TAC to not sink to 6 million pounds. Through work with the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and seemingly unending legal battles with the Texas Shrimp Association, CCA has managed to maintain BRDs for the protection of juvenile Gulf red snapper. Without BRDs, an estimated 60 to 80 percent of the juvenile red snapper population is in jeopardy. We must remember that growing involvement by environmental interests in fisheries management will increase the push for reductions in the TAC.

“The battle for access to this fishery by recreational fishermen will be to maintain the existing TAC,” said Hayes. “By continuing to improve data and maintain BRDs, we can work for an improved future for the management of our red snapper stock.”

No one has won in the management of the red snapper fishery. The questions still outnumber the solutions. “Clearly, no single lawsuit, press release, or march on the capitol will solve the red snapper problem,” said Murray. “But, somewhere between a moratorium and unlimited access dwells the middle ground that will allow for recovery of this fishery.” By working on all levels of management (local, state, and national), CCA continues to balance the fight for access for recreational fishermen and the goal of longevity for this prized species.