Open letter to congressional leaders say states would do a better job than NOAA officials.
The governors of Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Florida have signed a letter to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid, House of Representatives Speaker Rep. John Boehner, Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi asking that red snapper management be turned over to their states.
Click here to read a story on our sister site about why the Gov. Phil Bryant has joined Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Florida Gov. Rick Scott in calling for regional red snapper management.
The letter sent to congressional leaders reads:
“With a stock that is recovering steadily, our recreational anglers are being allowed to fish less and less, and there is no hint of willingness from NOAA Fisheries to deviate from this present, unsatisfactory course. As governors of Gulf states, we believe this confusing management is just the latest evidence of a federal management system that is irretrievably broken. We seek to establish a better fishery management approach for Gulf red snapper.
“Such an approach could be modeled after the highly successful Atlantic Striped Bass Conservation Act on the East Coast, and would establish a coordinated Gulf states partnership for red snapper management. The governors’ letter points out that, “State-based fishery management has proven to be far more effective, and has engineered some of the greatest marine conservation victories in the country, including red drum, speckled trout, snook and striped bass. It is in the national interest to implement procedures and measures to provide for effective inter-jurisdictional Gulf coastal state conservation and management of this species.”
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