Why are Red Snapper Seasons so Short?
Has this happened to you or someone you love? You wake early, you’ve waited all year, you grab your fishing clothes and go, only to realize that Red Snapper season is already over. All that time spent preparing fishing gear, organizing your tackles, setting a brutally early alarm. All for a season that can’t even see a change in weather.
For anyone who spends their time on the water in the gulf, you’ve probably noticed that Red Snapper fishing seasons are getting shorter and shorter. It’s frustrating, and we’ve even seen rumors that some seasons are only a day long depending where you live. That seems crazy, so we had to find out why.
Let’s break down why the red snapper season is so short
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Red Snappers can’t keep up with the anglers
It’s a scary reality, but the Red Snappers are more popular than ever. We love what we can’t have!
So much so that in 2017, Red Snappers were being caught at a rate of 4x more than before they were protected. The more there was restriction the harder people fished.
Their population is growing back, but it seems like they need a bit of a head start!
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Red Snappers are protected by the court system
Because Red Snappers were being caught at such high rates, even by accident, the judicial system had to step in. From 2007 to 2013, recreational quotas were overflowing. The court system found that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was not sufficiently protecting the population.
In 2014 the court system demanded more accountability from the NOAA for regulating recreational fishing of Red Snappers.
This has ultimately led to the shorter season we weren’t accustomed to before. Judges' orders, it seems!
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A lot of states were ignoring Federal Red Snapper orders
When the federal government set out to protect Red Snappers from recreational fishing, a lot of states opened their shores to anglers, contradicting the federal order. While a lot of people were excited to finally have their opportunity, it ultimately led to filling that year’s quota almost entirely before the season had even begun, giving some places only days to catch.
A lot of states were frustrated with these laws, and it makes sense, going from a premium fishing season to a hurried week. However, that ultimately set back the length of the season further.
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Most times we catch them by accident
Being an angler always comes with the risk of catching something that you didn’t intend to. Red Snapper, if you’ve spent time in the gulf, are famously a missed target. While their seasons are short, their population is growing back. That means that your odds of catching one, even by accident, is much higher.
There really isn’t a solution to this problem, at least not one we have yet, but there are ways to prevent Red Snapper mortality with an accidental catch. We’ll link a resource below!
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Barotrauma for Red Snappers
For a lot of deep sea marine life, suddenly being raised to the surface can cause a pressure change that will make a Red Snapper not survive release. It’s an unfortunate reality for fishing that a lot of times, even with the best intentions, a fish can pass on the boat.
No one’s really at fault here, especially when a Red Snapper is caught by accident, but barotrauma in Red Snappers is a notable reason that their population is in decline.
This is a resource for best practices when releasing a Red Snapper!
While some of these realities seem harsh, there’s good news! The population is steadily climbing and it’s possible that the open Red Snapper seasons will be back again. We’re all doing our part as anglers everywhere. Let’s bring back the Red Snapper season!
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