Gulf red snapper fishermen saw the new regulations coming—they had a pretty good idea what to expect too—more draconian resolutions. Quotas for both recreational and commercial fishermen drop by 50 percent. See http://www.floridasportsman.com/casts/080118/.

Tuesday, Jan. 29, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) finalized the latest red snapper limits, sealing the deal on limits fish regulators approved as far back as June.

The newest rules go into effect Feb. 28 and are expected to last until at least 2010, or until red snapper populations see significant recovery in Gulf federal waters. For recreational fishermen the bag limit is cut in half and the season is shortened by a month. The old bag limit of four red snapper per person, per day drops to two per person, per day. Second, the newly revised fishing season in federal waters now spans from June 1 to September 30. For commercial fishermen, they’ll get an allotted share of the total catch based on how much red snapper they have historically brought to shore.

In total, the new rules reduce the total red snapper fishing quota to 5 million pounds, down from 9.12 million pounds in previous years—2.55 million pounds for commercial fishermen, 2.45 million pounds for recreational anglers.

As part of the newest changes, venting tools must be onboard all vessels fishing for reef species. Also, non-stainless steel circle hooks must be used when targeting the same reef fish species with natural bait (live or dead).

Shrimpers may also be affected in an effort to reduce red snapper bycatch in their nets. Regulations mandate that shrimp bycatch must be reduced by 74 percent from what it was five years ago, which could mean limiting access of shrimp boats to certain areas during the season or shortening the shrimp harvest season in federal waters.

Louisiana and Mississippi have already approved matching restrictions in their state waters, and Florida is expected to follow in the coming weeks.