![]() ![]() On April 18, the council voted 8 to 7 to overturn the emergency rule, in effect reversing the Feb. In contrast, because snapper stocks are doing well and growing in the Gulf, snapper fishing is allowed 365 days a year in Texas state waters and 88 days in Louisiana state waters. In 2012, the snapper season in federal waters throughout the Gulf was just 46 days. 8, over the strong objections of state agency representatives from Louisiana, Texas, and Florida, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council voted to implement an emergency rule that could shorten the recreational red snapper fishing season in federal waters off the Texas coast to as few as 12 days and to nine days off the Louisiana coast, down from a projected 22-day season. “We have heard loudly and clearly from our anglers and other stakeholders that they expect nothing less from us.” “While we would prefer a cooperative regional management approach and are still hopeful that we can reach such a resolution, TPWD has a responsibility to take legal action to protect our state’s authority to manage the red snapper fishery within Texas waters,” Friedkin said. Dan Friedkin said his agency really had no choice in the matter in the face of the threat by federal authorities to punish Louisiana and Texas for setting state seasons not in compliance with federal regulations. “The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, on behalf of recreational fishermen and those whose livelihood depends on reasonable access to red snapper stocks, has taken this action to send the message to NMFS that a nine-day season for Louisiana landings is totally unreasonable and unacceptable,” commission Chairman Ronald “Ronny” Graham said. The two states also allege that the emergency rule violates the federal policy of cooperative federalism by improperly attempting to regulate the red snapper season in state waters. The lawsuit alleges that there is no emergency to justify an NMFS threat to shorten the fishing seasons for red snapper off the Louisiana and Texas coasts. Last week, the governors of Louisiana, Texas, Florida and Mississippi called on NMFS to allow states to manage red snapper fishing off their respective coasts. The suit was filed yesterday by the LDWF, the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in the federal District Court in Brownsville, Texas, the LDWF reported.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |