NOAA Fisheries Announces Limited Openings of Recreational and Commercial Red Snapper Seasons in South Atlantic Federal Waters

 

WHAT/WHEN:

• The recreational sector will open for harvest on the following days:
  • July 12, 13, and 14, 2019 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) – The recreational season opens at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 12, 2019, and closes at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 15, 2019. 
  • July 19 and 20, 2019 (Friday and Saturday) – The recreational season opens again at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 19, 2019, and closes at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 21, 2019. 
• The commercial sector will open for harvest at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 8, 2019, and will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on January 1, 2020, unless the commercial annual catch limit is met or projected to be met before this date. 
• If the commercial sector needs to close before 12:01 a.m., local time, on January 1, 2020, NOAA Fisheries will announce it in the Federal Register and publish another Fishery Bulletin.

 

WHY THESE LIMITED OPENINGS ARE OCCURRING:

• The limited openings are based on the final rule for Amendment 43 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Amendment 43) (83 FR 35428).
• The final rule specified recreational and commercial annual catch limits for red snapper beginning in 2018 and subsequent years.

 

DURING THE LIMITED OPEN SEASONS:

• The total annual catch limit will be 42,510 fish.
• The recreational annual catch limit will be 29,656 fish.
  • The recreational bag limit will be one red snapper per person per day.  This applies to private and charterboat/headboat vessels (the captain and crew on for-hire vessels may retain the recreational bag limit).
• The commercial annual catch limit will be 124,815 pounds whole weight (12,854 fish).
  • The commercial trip limit will be 75 pounds gutted weight.
• There will be no minimum or maximum size limits for the recreational or the commercial sectors.