Re: Snapper Grouper Closures

Recent Message from the Ocean Minded Anglers of Florida:

The South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (SAFMC) has now made major closures of snapper and grouper fisheries and has a proposal for a total closure of snapper for an undetermined amount of time, as well as a proposal to stop all bottom fishing  because of the potential that a snapper may be killed as by catch. The areas affected run from the Carolina to Key West and similar restrictions are being enacted in the Gulf.

In a cooperative effort the following clubs and organizations have joined forces to fight current and potential fishery closures dictated by the SAFMC as well as demand the science used to enact those closures be examined and fixed.

CFOA – Central Florida Offshore Anglers – Orlando, FL – www.centralfloridaoffshoreanglers.com
FSFA – Florida Sport Fishing Association – Merritt Island, FL – www.fsfaclub.org
HSFC – Halifax Sport Fishing Club, Daytona Beach, FL – www.hsfc.com
SISA – Sebastian Inlet Sport Fishing Assoc – Sebastian Fl – http://sites.google.com/site/fishsisa/Home
FCSC – Flagler County Sportfishing Club – Flagler County FL – http://www.fcsportfishing.com
Ft. Pierce Sportfishing Club – FPSC – www.ftpiercesportfishingclub.com
RFA – Recreational Fishing Alliance -  http://joinrfa.org
FRA – Fishing Rights Alliance – www.thefra.org
Deep Blue Sea Fishing – http://www.deep-blue-sea.org

Our members have fished and dived along the Florida East coast areas for many years and maintain a first hand knowledge of the health of the fishery. To be honest- where it was in decline 20 years ago, the current restrictions for minimum size and catch have worked to point where we believe the red snapper stock is healthier than it has been at any time in the last 25 years.

We contest the data being presented that shows the fishery to be in decline as being significantly flawed. And to be honest, as sportsmen, if we felt that the fishery was in trouble as we did many years ago, we would advocate new restrictions. These draconian measures are already having a catastrophic economical snowball effect in the State of Florida, from tourism dollars, to tackle and bait shops to charter Captains along with a degradation in the historical way of life for all involved.

But the biggest impact will be to our way of life as citizens of this country and what we support as our right to be able to go out and fish, have a good time and eat what we catch in a reasonable recreational sustainable fishery.

The petition calls for Congress to pass legislation to restrict the Commerce Department from enacting any further closures in the South Atlantic Region, and rescind the current interim closure of Red Snapper until fisheries managers improve the MRFSS system (data collection) and it passes a peer review.

WHAT can you do to help:

Go to this website- read the information and sign the electronic petition.

http://petition.deep-blue-sea.org

We appreciate you taking the time to read this, making an informed decision to sign the petition and passing it along to others that feel the same way.

Sincerely,
Ocean Minded Anglers of Florida