Apply now for appointment to an ad hoc committee on red snapper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Courtesy photo
Calling all red snapper fishermen. A newly created committee to develop fair and effective ways to mitigate derby fishing will begin meeting in January 2017. Applications deadline is August 5 for the Ad Hoc Red Snapper Private Angler Advisory Panel formed by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council.
During a two-year term, panels members will meet only once or twice a year and will be compensated for travel and per diem expenses. Ad Hoc panels are temporary and are disbanded with the panel charge has been met.
Anyone knowledgeable and interested in the conservation and management of red snapper fishery resources, or who are engaged in the harvest of Gulf of Mexico managed species may apply. Ad Hoc members have a unique opportunity to become directly involved in the management decision-making process.
Applications will be considered by the Council during its August meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. To apply, click here. The application asks for names of all business entities the applicant is involved in, information on fisheries background and interest in fishing industries and the environment. Any fishing violations received must also be noted on the brief form.
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional fishery management councils established by the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976. It prepares fishery management plans designed to manage resources from where state waters end, out to the 200-mile limit of the Gulf of Mexico, known as the Exclusive Economic Zone.
The council uses information provided by panels and committees when reviewing potential rule changes in fishery management.
OTHER FISHERIES NEWS
In other news from the fishery management council, fishing season for the gray triggerfish will remain closed through December 31, 2016. It was originally set to reopen on August 1.
The decision was made because the total recreational harvest of gray triggerfish in 2015 exceeded the annual catch limit by 39,977 pounds. Currently, the annual catch limit is 241,200 pounds whole weight, with an annual catch target of 217,000 pounds.
