State Management Program for Recreational Red Snapper Final Amendment 50A to the Fishery Management Plan for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico Amendment 50A State Management Program for Recreational Red Snapper

From 1996 – 2014, the recreational fishing season for red snapper in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) became progressively shorter. Despite regular increases in the red snapper recreational annual catch limit (ACL) since 2010, shorter federal seasons continued due to the quota beings landed more quickly, and inconsistent (longer) state water seasons. This resulted in overages of the ACL. Recreational fishermen throughout the Gulf have requested more flexibility in recreational red snapper management to provide greater socioeconomic benefits to their local area. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (Council) is exploring ways to address this. State management refers to allowing a state to set some recreational regulations (e.g., bag limits and season dates) in contrast to uniform recreational regulations applied to fishing in all federal waters in the Gulf. 2019 Award No. NA15NMF4410011 NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) SER (Southeast Region) Submitted Public Domain 1862