The Pew private foundation has become a not-so-silent partner with our government’s National Marine Fisheries Service and its councils, with a campaign to "save" fish populations, some of which do not need saving in the least.

Now Pew has announced six public hearings about red snapper closures and no-fishing areas coupled with a colorful flyer claiming that Atlantic red snapper are in desperate condition. The NMFS/South Atlantic Council has not a word about the public hearings sponsored with public money (at this date).

At any rate the Pew-announced hearings are scheduled for:

SNAPPER GROUPER AMENDMENTS 17A, 17B & 18 PUBLIC HEARING LOCATIONS

All Hearings Begin at 3:00 pm until 7:00 pm

Monday, 11/2/09
Hilton Garden Inn Charleston Airport
5265 International Boulevard
North Charleston, South Carolina 29418
Phone: 843-308-9330

Tuesday, 11/3/09
Hilton New Bern Riverfront
100 Middle Street
New Bern, North Carolina 28562
Phone: 252-638-3585

Thursday, 11/5/09
Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum
175 Bourne Avenue
Pooler, Georgia 31322
Phone: 912-748-8888

Tuesday, 11/10/09
Key Largo Grande
97000 Overseas Highway
Key Largo, Florida 33037
Phone: 305-852-5553

Wednesday, 11/11/09
Radisson Resort at the Port
8701 Astronaut Boulevard
Cape Canaveral, Florida 32920
Phone: 321-784-0000

Thursday, 11/12/09
Crowne Plaza Jacksonville Riverfront
1201 Riverplace Boulevard
Jacksonville, Florida 32207
Phone: 904-396-8800

Citizens who will want to attend the hearings should make plans now and urge knowledgeable other citizens to speak up. In the past, a number of absurd government proposals have been defeated because of public outcries.

Plans for closures and stifling red snapper limits are based on a stock assessment that opponents say is hopelessly flawed because of erroneous data and faulty guesstimates of fish populations in an old period (1945-’83) versus modern times. See the coming Nov. issue of FS for extensive new findings by independent scientists.

Worthy of note: The Florida Museum of Natural History Web site includes this statement:

“...the northern red snapper. At this time, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) does not consider this snapper to be vulnerable or threatened.”