# Keep some Red Snapper perhaps?



## Capt. TJ Cheek (Jun 18, 2012)

Council Requests Emergency Rule to Allow Red Snapper Harvest this Year
Limited harvest proposed through recreational three-day weekends 
and commercial mini-season 


     During its meeting last week in Orlando, Florida members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council requested an emergency rule to provide recreational and commercial fishermen the opportunity to harvest a limited number of red snapper later this year, perhaps by early fall. The Council determined that a total of 13,067 fish could be harvested this year after reviewing the latest estimates of total removals of red snapper (dead discards) that have occurred during 2010 and 2011 under the current moratorium. The red snapper fishery has been closed in South Atlantic federal waters since January 4, 2010 to end overfishing and rebuild the stock as required by Congress through the Magnuson-Stevens Act.


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## Parker Phoenix (Jun 18, 2012)

Red Snapper taking over the oceans and they throw a bone of 13K fish........Simple, stop commercial fishing of red snapper, let boaters and vacationers spend lots of money in Florida. Sorry, if you don't spend the money to fish for them, learn to eat talapia.......You don't see venison at Winn Dixie do ya?


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## paulkeen (Jun 18, 2012)

".Simple, stop commercial fishing,of red snapper" and the war begins with the ingorance of one


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## Lukikus2 (Jun 18, 2012)

Parker Phoenix said:


> Red Snapper taking over the oceans and they throw a bone of 13K fish........Simple, stop commercial fishing of red snapper, let boaters and vacationers spend lots of money in Florida. Sorry, if you don't spend the money to fish for them, learn to eat talapia.......You don't see venison at Winn Dixie do ya?



Isn't that the truth. The recreational fisherman's quota is cut out because of the commercial by-catch discards. No common sense involved whatsoever.


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## Sharkfighter (Jun 18, 2012)

I bet they look at the weather, pick the worst weekends to fish and open them up those weekends lol


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## Mechanicaldawg (Jun 19, 2012)

They seem to be working towards 1 per person with no size limit.


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## Parker Phoenix (Jun 19, 2012)

paulkeen said:


> ".Simple, stop commercial fishing,of red snapper" and the war begins with the ingorance of one



Truth stings doesn't it........


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## Bryannecker (Jun 19, 2012)

What they are now doing is too little and far too late. The real damage has already been done to the economy by that
governmental over-reaction to a so-called chrisis. The economic impact has meant nothing to them until, guess what, an
election year. This is nothing more than throwing the recreational fishermen a bone, and is politically motivated. Do not
fall for it! Vote all the bums out and get someone who has real common sense. 
Capt. Jimmy


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## paulkeen (Jun 20, 2012)

stupidity hurts even worse, everyone is complaining that they go out and catch a fish for a picture and make a nice dinner what about the guy that goes out and does it for a living to support his family.  just remeber when the goverment runs out of rules for commercial fisherman yall are next...and i promise you recreactional fisherman wont have a leg to stand on when it come to goverment, what yall are fishing for is not a necisity its a luxury


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## Parker Phoenix (Jun 20, 2012)

paulkeen said:


> stupidity hurts even worse, everyone is complaining that they go out and catch a fish for a picture and make a nice dinner what about the guy that goes out and does it for a living to support his family.  just remeber when the goverment runs out of rules for commercial fisherman yall are next...and i promise you recreactional fisherman wont have a leg to stand on when it come to goverment, what yall are fishing for is not a necisity its a luxury



So now you resort to name calling. I'm not stupid partner, far from it. However, as a recreational fisherman, am fed up with the elitest attitudes the commercial fishery has shown. Just because you, or your family have fished, you think you are entitled to every fish in the sea, those fish belong to everyone who has the means to get out and get them, not just those who fish for a living.


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## Miguel Cervantes (Jun 20, 2012)

paulkeen said:


> stupidity hurts even worse, everyone is complaining that they go out and catch a fish for a picture and make a nice dinner what about the guy that goes out and does it for a living to support his family.  just remeber when the goverment runs out of rules for commercial fisherman yall are next...and i promise you recreactional fisherman wont have a leg to stand on when it come to goverment, what yall are fishing for is not a necisity its a luxury





Parker Phoenix said:


> So now you resort to name calling. I'm not stupid partner, far from it. However, as a recreational fisherman, am fed up with the elitest attitudes the commercial fishery has shown. Just because you, or your family have fished, you think you are entitled to every fish in the sea, those fish belong to everyone who has the means to get out and get them, not just those who fish for a living.



What both parties are fighting for are God given rights and fighting against over-reaching policies by Government. In fighting between the two groups only serves to benefit the Government, as it takes the focus off of the real problem, them.


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## Parker Phoenix (Jun 20, 2012)

I hear you, and understand, Miquel, however there was a time when commercial beaver trappers and buffalo hunters had to  hang it up. I don't want recreational fisheries to go the way of the buffalo. We all know what commercial hunting led to. I'm done, everyone knows where I stand.


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## PaulD (Jun 20, 2012)

I once heard a SAMFC member comment about dividing commercial and recreational fisherman in order to get more done....think about that Paul, or who ever you are. Don't know anyone named Paul that's a commercial guy living at shellman bluff....just saying. Come on guys.


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## rdnckrbby (Jun 20, 2012)

paulkeen said:


> stupidity hurts even worse, everyone is complaining that they go out and catch a fish for a picture and make a nice dinner what about the guy that goes out and does it for a living to support his family.  just remeber when the goverment runs out of rules for commercial fisherman yall are next...and i promise you recreactional fisherman wont have a leg to stand on when it come to goverment, what yall are fishing for is not a necisity its a luxury




So your telling me you have so much more rights and it's fair that a commercial can go out and catch 1000lbs gutted weight of sea bass and we rec boys can keep 5 per person? What kind of logic is that? Someone else is getting the luxury


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## gulpjuice (Jun 21, 2012)

Come on Guys is right! Comm fishing and hunting is apples and oranges. Completely different. Comm spearfishing that is a different story.... Phoniex sounds like you like FL. You should move there. They will welcome you with open butts...i mean arms in Key Weird. Red snapper and sea bass populations off ga are at an all time high. No scientific data needed to know that. Just time spent out there will tell you all you need to know. I wonder what kind of scientific formula they fabricated to come up with 13,067. And how they will know when that number has been met....guestimate like they did everything else....i think so. I never understood how NOAA can put a number on a fish population. Then after they told me and everyone else last year sea bass were overfished you cant believe anything they say now. Their credibility for managing a fishery to me is gone. Redneckrbby they definitely have the luxury, but that's how they make a living. I think its fair because recs are out there for fun and comm there to make a living. Yes 5 fish per person on the rec side is absurd...but thats not the commercial fisherman's fault that would be NOAA/SAFMC/GA DNR. Commercial fishing is so regulated right now (along with recreational) its a surprise there are any of them left. PaulD that sounds like it could help splitting the rec and comm.....but i have heard a SAFMC member comment about about a couple things too.....don't get your hopes up


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## paulkeen (Jun 21, 2012)

5 per person when you have a boat of 3-4 people and 25-30 boats a day not including head/party boats i think thats more than enough to feed your family,  but when your fishing to make a living and only getting $3.00lb for fish at the dock its kinda dishearting,, commercial fisherman are not staying on a boat up to 10 days with 2 other guys in close quarters because its fun its a living and a hard one at that,  and even harder when you dont know when your season is going to end what you can or cant catch.  rec, fisherman can complain because they cant go out for a day... and for those that are saying that commercial snapper fishing needs to be banned, that will  go for the charter boats as well since there making a profit aswell off of these fish im on both sides of the fence recerational/ and commercial i said it once ill say it again there needs to be a aggreeable median between the two and against the higher powers involved


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## Sharkfighter (Jun 21, 2012)

Paul,

I am not against a guy making a living.  I do not buy the imports like Talapia or imported shrimp to support the local commercial guys.  

But the effect of recreational fishing on populations of things like Sea Bass and snapper are negligible and we have a huge impact on the local economy.  

And while I am not saying you particularly, but the the impact of a commercial fisherman can be extreme on a fish population.

Charter Cpts fall under recreational rules, so would you pay $500 for a charter and be happy if all you could keep were 5 fish?  Or what about a winter like we just had where you could hardly catch a sheepshead because the BSB were so thick and large but you cant legally keep even 1?

When we dont fish because of closures and over regulation that is gas we dont buy, Marina launch fees we dont pay, tackle we don't buy, ice we don't buy, etc.. Hotels that lose business as fisherman stay away etc All those things effect people trying to make a living 

Commercial fisherman are not the only ones whose living is effected by over-regulation of Gov.  

You guys Need to be able to make a living and I support you in that.  But you do need regulating so that the stocks are not depleted.  But Recreational guys barely make a dent in the fish population compared to our economic impact and we dont need the same level of regulation.  








paulkeen said:


> 5 per person when you have a boat of 3-4 people and 25-30 boats a day not including head/party boats i think thats more than enough to feed your family,  but when your fishing to make a living and only getting $3.00lb for fish at the dock its kinda dishearting,, commercial fisherman are not staying on a boat up to 10 days with 2 other guys in close quarters because its fun its a living and a hard one at that,  and even harder when you dont know when your season is going to end what you can or cant catch.  rec, fisherman can complain because they cant go out for a day... and for those that are saying that commercial snapper fishing needs to be banned, that will  go for the charter boats as well since there making a profit aswell off of these fish im on both sides of the fence recerational/ and commercial i said it once ill say it again there needs to be a aggreeable median between the two and against the higher powers involved


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## rdnckrbby (Jun 21, 2012)

I've been on a comm boat and know the ropes. My problem is I can go out and spend 500 in gas, support the local marina with lift and bait, expensive reels and tackle, boat maintenance, and can't even keep enough fish to justify going. The kingfish have been wiped out by commercial fishing since the snapper/grouper closures, tournaments that kill of spawning females, and this has gone unnoticed apparently. 5 years ago it was no problem going out and catching 5-10 kings per trip. Now you are lucky to get one.


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## Paymaster (Jun 21, 2012)

OK. Lets not resort to name calling and getting personal. Have a civil discussion and maybe this thread will stay out here.


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## paulkeen (Jun 21, 2012)

well heres to hoping that they will open a season back up so we dont have to filet and relase any more,, and there not blowing a bunch of smoke just to keep everybody quiet....


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## jdgator (Jun 21, 2012)

I want to have both commercial and recreational red snapper. However I think that if the stock is low enough to have to close recreational fishing it is low enough to close commercial fishing. MFC needs to think about the implications when they come up with these policies. Its not funny when a captain gets his boat repossessed because he can't go fishing.


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## Parker Phoenix (Jun 21, 2012)

gulpjuice said:


> Come on Guys is right! Comm fishing and hunting is apples and oranges. Completely different. Comm spearfishing that is a different story.... Phoniex sounds like you like FL. You should move there. They will welcome you with open butts...i mean arms in Key Weird. Red snapper and sea bass populations off ga are at an all time high. No scientific data needed to know that. Just time spent out there will tell you all you need to know. I wonder what kind of scientific formula they fabricated to come up with 13,067. And how they will know when that number has been met....guestimate like they did everything else....i think so. I never understood how NOAA can put a number on a fish population. Then after they told me and everyone else last year sea bass were overfished you cant believe anything they say now. Their credibility for managing a fishery to me is gone. Redneckrbby they definitely have the luxury, but that's how they make a living. I think its fair because recs are out there for fun and comm there to make a living. Yes 5 fish per person on the rec side is absurd...but thats not the commercial fisherman's fault that would be NOAA/SAFMC/GA DNR. Commercial fishing is so regulated right now (along with recreational) its a surprise there are any of them left. PaulD that sounds like it could help splitting the rec and comm.....but i have heard a SAFMC member comment about about a couple things too.....don't get your hopes up



What is this about you guys, you can't carry on a discussion with out name calling, simple reason is, you have no logic behind your arguements, so you start slinging names. Weak.


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## Rodsmith (Jun 21, 2012)

Captain T.J....now look what you got started brother!! 

But on the other hand, how would one recognize peace if there were never disagreements or conflict? 

Very interesting arguments on both sides though.


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## Capt. TJ Cheek (Jun 21, 2012)

Rodsmith said:


> Captain T.J....now look what you got started brother!!
> 
> But on the other hand, how would one recognize peace if there were never disagreements or conflict?
> 
> Very interesting arguments on both sides though.



No kiddin...

The fact is that I would be happy to keep or not keep fish as long as it was based on some kind of facts or at least solid information. The feds have no solid information.

I know it sucks to not keep fish when you go out, and I also admit to being strongly opposed to the over-regulation. 

However, I've come to the realization that not going fishing just because you can't keep many fish is absurd. I don't think it is going to offset your grocery bill that much by bringing home a ton of fish. I fish to have fun, and keeping some fish is great too, but it isn't mandatory for me to have a good time.

I wonder if the environmentalists argue as much amongst themselves as fishermen do...


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## gulpjuice (Jun 21, 2012)

Parker Phoenix said:


> What is this about you guys, you can't carry on a discussion with out name calling, simple reason is, you have no logic behind your arguements, so you start slinging names. Weak.



Guys it was a joke. Darn. Sensitive lil fellas on here. Ok since ur logic makes perfect sense Mr buffalo hunter. There was no regulation in the slaughter of buffalo. Comm fishing is heavily regulated. I believe too much on the red snapper. They have been taking over a lot of structures offshore Georgia. If you spent some time out there you might understand my logic


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## gulpjuice (Jun 21, 2012)

Capt. TJ Cheek said:


> The Council determined that a total of 13,067 fish could be harvested this year after reviewing the latest estimates of total removals of red snapper (dead discards). The red snapper fishery has been closed in South Atlantic federal waters since January 4, 2010



That's how they figured it out....they estimated....missed it when I first read it. Guys u cant trust safmc they closed red snapper because they estimated there were not enough out there. Red snapper have been closed for 2.5 years for no reason. The fish stock was in the best shape it had ever been in a looong time when it closed. Same with sea bass. No reason. At least we have half the year to catch sea bass....I still don't understand why comm guys can keep a 10" and rec guys 12". That doesnt make any sense. Then to reduce the limit to 5 a person....Bottom line there is no shortage of red snapper out there as we speak

http://m.youtube.com/results?q=moa moa#/watch?v=7MPNGIHYlb8


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## DaveCrockett (Jun 24, 2012)

Government  and PETA  want the Commercial Fisherman and the Recreational Fisherman bumping heads and fighting each other at the docks over the scraps they throw us and they've just about accomplished their goal.  Its called divide and conquer boys.


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## trapperP (Jun 26, 2012)

paulkeen said:


> 5 per person when you have a boat of 3-4 people and 25-30 boats a day not including head/party boats i think thats more than enough to feed your family,  but when its kinda dishearting,, commercial fisherman are not staying on a boat up to 10 days with 2 other guys in close quarters because its fun your fishing to make a living and only getting $3.00lb for fish at the dock its a living and a hard one at that,  and even harder when you dont know when your season is going to end what you can or cant catch.  rec, fisherman can complain because they cant go out for a day... and for those that are saying that commercial snapper fishing needs to be banned, that will  go for the charter boats as well since there making a profit aswell off of these fish im on both sides of the fence recerational/ and commercial i said it once ill say it again there needs to be a aggreeable median between the two and against the higher powers involved



You write:  "your fishing to make a living and only getting $3.00lb for fish at the dock"  Now if you take the fish that I as a sport or recreational fisherman land at the dock how much per pound do those fish represent in the local economy?  I'm not advocating anything here just using your own statements to show that perhaps you should be driving a truck?  FWIW I've seen data stating that the average for commercial salmon fishing results in .08 cents per pound for the economy of the State of Alaska and the sportfishing caught fish represent something like $18 per pound - you do the math.
I really have no problem with commercial fishermen having even done some myself but do tire of the constant bickering (from both sides) telling how the other guy is ruining it for everyone.


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## gulpjuice (Jun 26, 2012)

Sharkfighter said:


> Paul,
> And while I am not saying you particularly, but the the impact of a commercial fisherman can be extreme on a fish population.
> 
> Charter Cpts fall under recreational rules, so would you pay $500 for a charter and be happy if all you could keep were 5 fish?  Or what about a winter like we just had where you could hardly catch a sheepshead because the BSB were so thick and large but you cant legally keep even 1?
> ...


I definitely agree we need regulation. Did you know there are only 3 registered commercial grouper snapper boats in the state of GA? That's not a lot for the amount of btm fish habitat the GA coast has to offer. Not saying there are not others coming from FL and SC but 3 boats can only do so much to a certain species fish population with the current regs in place. Sure commercial guys are out there longer but with regulations now such as trip limits and seasons the commercial guys are being over regulated right now IMHO.....right along with the rec guys. I am not on one side or the other as far as comm vs rec. I have been at the dock and watched a comm snapper grouper boat unload after a 4-7 days out a handful of times. You would be surprised to know half the time they only had 110-160lbs of snapper or ARS (before the ban). A good rec fisherman (before the ban) could do that it one day with rod and reel. But maybe that comm boat wasnt good at catching ARS i dont know


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## shakey gizzard (Jun 26, 2012)

Check out the fisheries of other countries that have gone unregulated!


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## Sharkfighter (Jun 26, 2012)

shakey gizzard said:


> Check out the fisheries of other countries that have gone unregulated!



A difference between unregulated and Over-regulated.  

Most sportsman and I imagine most commercial guys want some regulations.  But they are not basing the regulations on any type of science and the regulations are overly restrictive , especially on the Recreational side.

There is no reason for me to keep 100 sea bass a day as a recreational guy but there also is no reason to limit me to 5 and close off the best months!

Same with Red Snapper.  No reason for  a single Recreational guy to keep 200 lbs a day but not keeping ANY without data to back it up is wrong.


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## Mechanicaldawg (Jun 26, 2012)

Looks like they're aiming at a lottery system for those 13k fish.

How many of you are going to participate if they stick us with that?


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## shakey gizzard (Jun 27, 2012)

Mechanicaldawg said:


> Looks like they're aiming at a lottery system for those 13k fish.
> 
> How many of you are going to participate if they stick us with that?



I'll take 1 30lber!


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## Potlicker60 (Jun 27, 2012)

From my limited experience fishing off the GA coast, I would say the area has a pretty poor Red Snapper population compared to the Gulf, and what the GA coast has potential for.  Not even a close comparison...the places i fish in the gulf are public and we catch a 6 man limit of 12lb+ snapper(close, less than 12 miles, public spots) and 15lbs+(further out) in less than an hour of lines in almost every time out.  I think the GA coast could use a serious artificial reef program and some better management and they would have what Louisiana and Alabama have going on with their bottom fishing.


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