On Wednesday, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) Marine Resources Division (MRD) announced that Alabama’s Red Snapper private angler season will close at midnight on December 31.
MRD reports that Alabama anglers caught far fewer fish than the federal government allocates to Alabama fishermen. Alabama’s 2022 federal allocation of red snapper was 1.12 million pounds. Anglers have to this point, actually harvested less than 500,000 pounds during the 128-day season.
“Every year, a variety of factors impact the effort in this fishery,” said Scott Bannon, MRD Director. “Those factors influence the number of days Alabama is open to fishing for red snapper. Good weather throughout the summer and fall provided anglers with more opportunities to participate this year. We also want to thank anglers for reporting their red snapper harvests through Snapper Check. It is an important tool in providing increased access to this fishery.”
The size of the state’s red snapper allocation and the length of the season has been a point of contention between the state and federal regulators with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for years. MRD says that it will announce the 2023 season dates in the coming months once NOAA Fisheries finalize the 2023 quota.
“It has been a good, long red snapper season in Alabama this year,” said Chris Blankenship, ADCNR Commissioner. “Under Alabama state management, we were able to provide maximum access in 2022. This is the sixth successful red snapper season under state management. It was good to see anglers reeling in red snapper throughout the summer and fall. ADCNR will continue fighting to ensure our citizens and visitors have access to the incredible red snapper fishery off the coast of Alabama.”
NOAA has announced that private angler red snapper catch limits for red snapper will increase in 2023 as the numbers of red snapper have increased in the federal government’s most recent assessments.
MRD has also announced that the state will close all Alabama waters to oyster harvesting on Friday at 2:00 p.m.
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