Stuart, Florida, June 10. More than 150 people gathered Tuesday night to voice their concerns, outrage and protest against impending red snapper closures in Atlantic waters. The public hearing was held by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC).

The 2 ½ hour-long session drew anglers, charter captains and prominent members of the marine industry and conservation communities from as far away as the Carolinas and Washington, D.C. More than 25 people directly addressed the Council’s 20 attending members with concerns about issues now on the table at the SAFMC’s week-long meeting in Stuart, at the Hutchinson Island Marriott. The hot topic of most of the comments was the pending closure of the red snapper fishery in Atlantic waters. Testimony against that measure was intense, personal and often grave.

The vast majority of protests questioned the integrity of the Council’s science in SEDAR 15, a stock assessment document, which is being used as the basis for the red snapper closure. Other speakers contested the validity of a wide variety of other measures being considered by the Council, including bans on golden tilefishing, deep dropping, shallow-water grouper fishing, and vermilion snapper fishing. Many charter operators, including headboat operators from Stuart up through St. Augustine were present, and they expressed their convictions that they would be put out of business by the closures.

“I have 1.5 million dollars invested in my charter business,” one charter boat operator from St. Augustine told the Council. “If you close red snapper fishing I’ll just drop off my keys at the bank and tell them that they own it all. All my employees will be out of work, too.”

Dennis O’Hern of the Fishing Rights Alliance (FRA) estimated that the closures now on the table will cost the state of Florida more than $2 billion in lost revenue. O’Hern also let the Council know that, should the measures be adopted, the FRA will take legal action.

Karl Wickstrom, founder of FS, let the audience and Council members know that the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) has recently stated its official position on the red snapper closure by urging the Council not to adopt the closure without further scientific study. The CCA’s full statement on the red snapper closure is available on CCA’s national Web site, www.joincca.org.

Peter Lindgren, founder and president of Lindgren-Pitman, Inc., makers of electric reels and other recreational and commercial fishing equipment, based in Pompano Beach, challenged the council members to reject the faulty science used in the SEDAR study and demand better science for the good of the government and for the people.

“There are too many holes in this science to use it to make any serious decisions, especially about closing the red snapper fishery. If you reject this study and demand better science, you won’t be thrown in jail, you won’t lose your jobs,” Lindgren said. “You’ll be applauded for demanding an excellent scientific study and you’ll be lauded by all the people who you represent.”

Others in attendance were Rod Coddington of the Sword Fishing Club, Michael Kennedy and Chester Brewer of CCA, representatives from ACR Electronics based in Fort Lauderdale, dozens of owners of charter fishing operations, including Sea Love Charters, Black Dog Charters, Cool Beans Charters and Bottom Dollar Charters and members of the Pew Foundation.

The SAFMC’s five days of meetings continues through this Friday. At the same location today, June 10, at 5:30 p.m., an informal question and answer session about current fishery issues, including the pending closure of the red snapper fishery, will be held with National Marine Fisheries Service Regional Administrator Dr. Roy Crabtree and Council Chairman Duane Harris.

You can watch a live video Webcast of the Council hearings and public testimony by visiting the SAFMC Web site at www.safmc.net