Rutherford Leads Letter to NOAA on South Atlantic Red Snapper

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Thursday, U.S. Congressman John H. Rutherford (FL-05), along with 22 fellow House colleagues, sent a letter to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator Richard Spinrad to oppose bottom closures and shorter red snapper seasons for recreational anglers in the South Atlantic.

Among the cosigners are Reps. Aaron Bean (FL-04), Nancy Mace (SC-01), Garret Graves (LA-06), Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Russell Fry (SC-07), Buddy Carter (GA-01), Bruce Westerman (AR-04), Rep. Daniel Webster (FL-11), Rep. Jeff Duncan (SC-03), Austin Scott (GA-08), Byron Donalds (FL-19), Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-27), Ralph Norman (SC-05), Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13), Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25), Michael Waltz (FL-06), Neal Dunn (FL-02), David Rouzer (FL-07), Mike Collins (GA-10), Scott Franklin (FL-18), Carlos Gimenez (FL-28), and Laurel Lee (FL-15).

The members urged NOAA to suspend consideration of area closures and other significant management decisions until the South Atlantic Great Red Snapper Count and other ongoing data collection programs are completed and integrated into the stock assessment process.

"Over the last twelve years, the South Atlantic fishing community has worked hard to help rebuild the red snapper stock," said Rutherford. "I have heard repeatedly from local anglers that they see more red snapper off the coast of Northeast Florida than they ever have seen before. That's why last summer's one-day season was confounding and ridiculous. I was proud to send a letter with my fellow House colleagues to urge NOAA not to implement draconian closures and use better data to evaluate the red snapper population. Florida's anglers deserve dependable access to red snapper fishing."

Read the full letter below:

Dear Administrator Spinrad,

We write to share our concerns with the advancement of a Secretarial Amendment to alter management of red snapper in the South Atlantic. We urge you not to consider area closures or other significant management decisions until the ongoing surveys are completed and their data is integrated into the stock assessment process.

While we agree that our fisheries must be managed in a sustainable way, we currently lack sufficient data to support area closures, which would have immense economic implications on our states. Current methods used to determine the health of the stock, and ultimately inform management decisions, do not provide an accurate picture of the red snapper stock. In fact, NOAA recently stated that the recreational data effort estimates could be off by as much as 40 percent.

Over the last 12 years, anglers and fishery managers have worked diligently to rebuild the red snapper stock, and by all accounts these efforts have been successful. The most recent scientific information indicates the South Atlantic red snapper stock has had strong recruitment of young fish in recent years and is recovering consistent with rebuilding goals. Anyone who has been out on the water recently will tell you that red snapper is plentiful.

We regularly hear from our constituents that red snapper is so abundant it is all they can catch. As the stock grows, more encounters occur out of season, which leads to increased discards. These discards ultimately count against fishermen, leaving them with short or non-existent seasons even after complying with all the rules. This is a frustrating cycle that prevents fishermen from accessing this important resource.

Red snapper seasons, even short ones, help support our coastal economies. The six-day 2018 recreational season added $13 million to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the region. As red snapper seasons shrink, however, so does their economic benefit. Area or season closures of bottom fishing would be an economic disaster for our states which rely heavily on our coastal economy and the businesses that support our robust fishing industry.

Any secretarial management decisions for the red snapper fishery must be made using the best and most up-to-date science. Congress has provided $8.7 million to improve management and available fishery data, $3.3 million of which was used to fund the South Atlantic Great Red Snapper Count. This study, which began in 2021, will provide independent data on the red snapper population and will be completed in the second half of next year, right after NOAA intends to implement a final rule. Taking secretarial action without incorporating the soon-to-be available data from the Great Red Snapper Count and the ongoing state surveys would be precipitous and irresponsible.

For these reasons, we urge you to suspend considerations of area closures and other significant management decisions for the South Atlantic until the Great Red Snapper Count and the other ongoing surveys are completed and integrated into the stock assessment process.

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