Dear Dr. Leard,
I am deeply concerned about the health of the Gulf of Mexico marine ecosystem. I am writing to urge the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council to develop a strong plan to rebuild the severely depleted red snapper population in the Gulf.
As the Council considers what management measures to include in amendments to fishery management plans for shrimp and reef fish it must consider the strongest and most effective measures possible to end overfishing of red snapper.
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) estimates that the red snapper population is at only three percent of its historical abundance. Even more alarming, NMFS also estimates that up to 80 percent of juvenile red snapper are caught and killed as "bycatch" in shrimp trawl nets.
Therefore in this scoping process I urge the Council to consider measures that will do the following:
-establish science-based fishing limits for red snapper to end overfishing;
-enforce these limits and not allow them to be exceeded, as they have been in the past;
-end the unacceptable waste of red snapper in the shrimp fishery, and;
-ensure that red snapper are rebuilt quickly.
Thank you for considering my views on the need to end overfishing of red snapper.
Sincerely,
[your name here]