Alabama announces 28-day recreational red snapper fishing season for 2019
Alabama fishermen, mark your calendars: the state has officially set the 2019 recreational red snapper fishing season. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources on Wednesday announced the season will take place on three-day weekends (Friday-Sunday) from Saturday, June 1 through Sunday, July 28, including July 4. This will be the second year in a row, the state is operating under an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) from NOAA Fisheries, which gives the state the ability to establish fishing season start and end dates in federal waters off the state’s coast. Alabama 1st District U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne, a long-time advocate for Alabama red snapper fisherman, praised the news. “Under the Red Snapper season announced today, Alabama’s fishermen and coastal communities should be thrilled,” said Byrne. “This full season will provide adequate time for recreational fishermen to take advantage of the healthy Red Snapper fishery in the Gulf while also boosting the economy in our coastal communities.” According to the Marine Resources Division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources: The 2019 private angling season is based on the fishing effort and average size of fish collected during 2018. Under the EFP, Alabama is provided a percentage of the Gulf-wide recreational quota for red snapper. Alabama’s 2019 private vessel quota is 1,079,573 pounds. Under the terms of the EFP, Alabama will use Snapper Check to monitor the landings during the season and may adjust the season length to provide maximum access for fishermen while adhering to the quota. “In 2018, the first year of the EFP, Alabama’s quota was 984,291 pounds and we estimated a 47-day season,” said Marine Resources Division Director Scott Bannon. “What we did not anticipate were the ideal weather conditions and the tremendous effort by Alabama anglers, which caused us to close the season after 28 days. We were required to adhere to the quota and, for the most part, we did, as we exceeded the quota by only 0.2 percent. Although the season was shortened, a tremendous number of people took advantage of the amazing red snapper fishery off Alabama’s coast, and we have shown that Alabama can manage the season effectively and make adjustments necessary to maintain this valuable fishery.” Except for the opening weekend, which begins on a Saturday, weekends are defined as 12:01 a.m. Friday through 11:59 p.m. Sunday. This season only applies to private anglers and state-licensed Alabama commercial party boats that do not hold federal for-hire fishing permits.
Alabama red snapper season closes Sunday, 6 weeks early
After its first season of self-managing red snapper fishing, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) is bringing the season to an end six weeks earlier than expected. The Marine Resources Division (MRD) of the ADCNR made the announcement last week that the season to harvest red snapper by private anglers and state-licensed commercial party boats will come to an end on 11:59 p.m. Sunday, July 22, 2018 due to the fact the quota of 984,291 pounds issued under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries’ Alabama Recreational Red Snapper Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) is expected to be met by the closure date. The season was originally scheduled to run through Labor Day, September 3. “Alabama anglers fished extremely hard on the good weather days during the season,” said Marine Resources Director Scott Bannon. “That level of effort, coupled with larger average-sized fish harvested this year as compared to last year, resulted in a daily harvest rate two times higher than 2017, which prompted an earlier than anticipated closure. “The purpose of the EFP was to demonstrate Alabama’s ability to establish a season and monitor landings within a fixed quota and I think we have shown we can do that,” said Bannon. The state-managed season was made possible through language authored by U.S. Senator Richard Shelby in the FY2017 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill that directed the NOAA Fisheries to develop the fishery management pilot program allowing states to direct reef fish management activities. Anglers are reminded of the following: Possession of red snapper in Alabama waters while state waters are closed is prohibited regardless of where the fish were harvested. Alabama anglers may fish in federal waters off the coast of Alabama (outside of 9 nm) and land in a state that is open to the landing of red snapper, but they must adhere to the open state’s rules and not transit in Alabama state waters with red snapper on board. The season for federally-permitted charter for-hire vessels will close at 12:01 a.m. July 22. In-season landings estimates were calculated through the use of Snapper Check, the program established in 2014 to collect mandatory trip reports from anglers, and this monitoring tool was a key component of the EFP. MRD staff will review the complete 2018 season effort and landings data to develop a plan for the 2019 season. Summary data from the season and information about the EFP can been found online here.
