Despite a veto threat from the Obama administration, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would significantly change how the federal government regulates red snapper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, a move welcomed by Alabama fisheries officials and coastal lawmakers.
The largely party-line vote reauthorized the Magnuson-Stevens Conservation and Management Act, the primary law governing fisheries management off the U.S. coast, providing close to $2 billion in funding through 2019. The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.
Three provisions in the bill had been championed by U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne, R-Fairhope, whose district includes much of coastal Baldwin and Mobile counties. The measure repeals the federal quota system for Gulf red snapper that critics have long called too rigid, extends state-controlled waters from three to nine miles offshore to match limits already enjoyed by Texas and Florida, and shifts responsibility for collecting red snapper population data away from federal regulators and toward the states.
Byrne said in a statement that the vote represented “a big win for red snapper fishermen in the Gulf and fishermen all across the country,” arguing that better data collection and greater flexibility for state fisheries managers could help restore a fuller snapper season along the coast.
Environmental groups criticized the bill. The Ocean Conservancy’s Fish Conservation Program director called it a “stinging disappointment” that fails to serve fishermen or fish populations, noting that the current law had previously enjoyed bipartisan support by balancing the interests of anglers and conservationists.
The debate comes as Gulf fishermen have grown increasingly frustrated with shrinking federal red snapper seasons; this year’s federal season, which began this week, lasts just 10 days. Alabama’s Marine Resources Division director welcomed the House vote, saying the shift to nine-mile state waters would open six additional miles for anglers during Alabama’s state season, which runs the entire month of July, and would give the state more room to expand its artificial reef program used to support the fishery.
Under the bill, data collection responsibility would shift from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, made up of representatives from the five Gulf states, before being submitted to a regional council for recommendations to federal regulators. U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Hoover, also voiced support, saying the change would give Alabamians a stronger voice in how Gulf fisheries are managed.
For Alabama’s coastal charter boat operators, commercial fishermen and recreational anglers, red snapper season length has become one of the most closely watched fisheries issues in recent years, given the fish’s economic importance to Gulf Coast tourism and the seafood industry.