"Fish Daytona" TV Show

Red Snapper Management

by Capt. David McGaha

Often referred to simply as the Magnuson- Stevens Act, the Magnuson-Stevens fishery Conservation and Management first enacted in 1976 and amended in 1996, is the primary law governing marine fisheries management in United States federal waters.

    Most notably,the Magnuson-stevens Act aided in the development of the domestic fishing industry by phasing out foreign fishing. To manage the fisheries and promote conservation, the Act created eight regional fishery management councils. The 1996 amendments focused on rebuilding overfished fisheries protecting essential fish habitat and reducing by catch.

    President George W. Bush, through his Ocean Action Plan, made reauthorizing the Magnuson-Stevens Act a top priority. The President called for a hard deadline to improve and update the data and science by January 2009 end overfishing by 2010, increased use of marketbased management tools, creation of a national saltwater angler registry, and an emphasis on ecosystem approaches to management. NMFS/SAFMC failed to meet the 2009 date to repair and update the science, but has moved forward on the 2010 date to end overfishing.

    This sounds good, but pending closure of the South Atlantics red snapper fishery by the SAMFC has met strong opposition from thousands of recreational anglers and groups representing them.Terry Winn, president of Central Florida Offshore anglers says, The SAMFC needs to stop doing what they`re doing and go back to read the Magnuson-Stevens Act. They should look at the science and the economical effects before they make their next move. Over the years we have gone from being able to keep 10 red snapper 12 inches long, to only 2 red snapper 20 inches long. this change in regulation has gone a long ways to help the red snapper fishery

    Area fishermen`s contention that the fishery is healthy, growing and that 2009 was the best red snapper fishing year in memory. So in close I would like to hear what you think about the closure or what you are doing to to get the closure overturned .

    Captain David McGaha