Red snapper may have finally found somewhere to hide from unrelenting Gulf of Mexico shrimp trawlers.

U.S. District Court.

By its continuing failure to arrive at an effective plan to rebuild red snapper stocks and unwillingness to regulate the detrimental effects of shrimp harvesters, the Department of Commerce, through the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), violated the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, according to a ruling by U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon.

Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) was lead plaintiff in the lawsuit challenging the NMFS 2005 red snapper rebuilding plan. CCA Chairman Walter Fondren III commented, “The judge’s ruling affirms CCA’s long-standing position: To manage red snapper stocks, NMFS must take into account the devastation caused by shrimp trawl bycatch.” Harmon ordered that NMFS issue a rule by December 12, 2007, that will provide for the rebuilding of snapper stocks by no later than 2032, and must adopt measures to minimize the number of red snapper juveniles killed by the shrimp industry. Researchers put the percentage of Gulf red snapper currently destroyed as trawler bycatch at approximately 80 percent.

For a complete update on the status of the Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery, click on RED SNAPPER at www.joincca.org