Keep red snapper on the path to recovery!
- by: The Pew Charitable Trusts
- recipient: U.S. Congress
This June a key committee in the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill—H.R. 3094—that would dismantle the progress we have made to rebuild American red snapper, a treasured and iconic fish to fishermen, anglers, and seafood consumers in the Gulf of Mexico and across the nation.
Chronic overfishing of red snapper in the 1980s and 1990s severely depleted the population. Full recovery of this long-lived fish, which reaches prime spawning years starting at age 10, takes time. It is vital we keep the current rebuilding plan on track.
Alarmingly, this bill would take the management of this species away from wildlife officials, fishermen, scientists, and other community members, and hand it over to a new authority, composed solely of five state government bureaucrats. The states don't have the resources necessary to assess and protect the health of the entire Gulf population. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards recently released a statement saying the bill as currently drafted would not be a viable option for his state.
It is possible that the bill could be voted on by the full House of Representatives later this year. To protect red snapper and our fisheries management system across the country, please urge your representative to vote No on H.R. 3094!
Chronic overfishing of red snapper in the 1980s and 1990s severely depleted the population. Full recovery of this long-lived fish, which reaches prime spawning years starting at age 10, takes time. It is vital we keep the current rebuilding plan on track.
Alarmingly, this bill would take the management of this species away from wildlife officials, fishermen, scientists, and other community members, and hand it over to a new authority, composed solely of five state government bureaucrats. The states don't have the resources necessary to assess and protect the health of the entire Gulf population. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards recently released a statement saying the bill as currently drafted would not be a viable option for his state.
It is possible that the bill could be voted on by the full House of Representatives later this year. To protect red snapper and our fisheries management system across the country, please urge your representative to vote No on H.R. 3094!
Dear [Representative]
I am writing to ask you to vote against H.R. 3094, the "Gulf States Red Snapper Management Authority Act", which will halt the progress we've made in rebuilding populations of this iconic fish.
American red snapper are prized by recreational anglers and commercial fishermen as well as consumers and chefs. In the 1980s and 1990s, we nearly loved this fish to death. Chronic overfishing brought the population to the brink of collapse. Using the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), scientists and managers stepped in with a science-based rebuilding plan in 2007 that is targeted to fully restore the population by 2032. Since implementation of the plan, overfishing of red snapper has ceased, and the population is growing. In those years, the recreational and commercial quotas have each grown by a combined 115%. Full recovery of a long-lived species takes time, and these signs of success show that it is on the right track.
[Your comment will be added here]
H.R. 3094 would transfer the management of red snapper from the science-based, participatory Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council to a new, untested authority composed of five state wildlife managers. Fishermen and other stakeholders would not be members of this proposed authority, a marked change from the existing council that includes fishermen, scientists, state wildlife officials and other industry members.
In addition, this bill undermines the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), which has allowed our nation to make remarkable strides toward ending overfishing and restoring overfished populations to healthy levels with significant economic and ecological benefits. Removing the conservation protections of the MSA for a fishery that is allowing this species to rebuild could set a precedent in other regional fisheries, putting more fish populations at risk.
Gulf red snapper are on the road to recovery. The existing recovery plan is working, and staying the course will deliver a healthy red snapper population that will support abundant fishing, seafood, and recreational opportunities for generations to come.
I strongly urge you to oppose H.R. 3094.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Sign PetitionSign PetitionI am writing to ask you to vote against H.R. 3094, the "Gulf States Red Snapper Management Authority Act", which will halt the progress we've made in rebuilding populations of this iconic fish.
American red snapper are prized by recreational anglers and commercial fishermen as well as consumers and chefs. In the 1980s and 1990s, we nearly loved this fish to death. Chronic overfishing brought the population to the brink of collapse. Using the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), scientists and managers stepped in with a science-based rebuilding plan in 2007 that is targeted to fully restore the population by 2032. Since implementation of the plan, overfishing of red snapper has ceased, and the population is growing. In those years, the recreational and commercial quotas have each grown by a combined 115%. Full recovery of a long-lived species takes time, and these signs of success show that it is on the right track.
[Your comment will be added here]
H.R. 3094 would transfer the management of red snapper from the science-based, participatory Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council to a new, untested authority composed of five state wildlife managers. Fishermen and other stakeholders would not be members of this proposed authority, a marked change from the existing council that includes fishermen, scientists, state wildlife officials and other industry members.
In addition, this bill undermines the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), which has allowed our nation to make remarkable strides toward ending overfishing and restoring overfished populations to healthy levels with significant economic and ecological benefits. Removing the conservation protections of the MSA for a fishery that is allowing this species to rebuild could set a precedent in other regional fisheries, putting more fish populations at risk.
Gulf red snapper are on the road to recovery. The existing recovery plan is working, and staying the course will deliver a healthy red snapper population that will support abundant fishing, seafood, and recreational opportunities for generations to come.
I strongly urge you to oppose H.R. 3094.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
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