PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Florida regulators cut the daily red snapper catch limit for charter boats Thursday, but rejected shortening the state's snapper fishing season -- a compromise intended to save the overfished species with an eye to the economic fears of Panhandle fishermen.
'Our job is to protect both the fishery and the people and this is a balance of that,' said Florida Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Brian S. Yablonski of Tallahassee, who offered the compromise to a strict plan that would have placed tougher red snapper guidelines for federal waters on Florida's waters, which extend 9 miles from the coast.
'I don't think we can be so fixed in our views as regulators that there is only way to help the snapper,' he said.
Commissioners unanimously approved the amended plan.
Earlier Thursday they heard from dozens of charter captains, Panhandle politicians and business owners who said a truncated season along with decreased daily catch limits would be devastating to the local economy. More than 500 people, mostly fishermen attended the meeting.
'Our backs are against the wall. You are seeing people here today who are going to be gone, out of business, if this happens,' Bob Zales II, a Panama City charter boat captain, told commissioners.
Zales praised the commissioners after Thursday's vote, saying the charter boat industry could work with the new guidelines.
Destin charter captain Mike Graef agreed.
'This was the best we could hope for. We needed our season,' he said.
The original plan would have cut the snapper season by almost three months to June 1 through Sept. 30.
The plan approved by the commission keeps the season open from April 15 through Oct. 31. It enacts other changes including cutting the per-person daily charter boat snapper catch limit from four to two fish and requiring charter boats to carry steel circle hooks, venting tools and de-hooking devices to help released snapper survive.
By failing to fully adopt the federal guidelines, state regulators threaten the future of red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico, said Chris Dorsett of The Ocean Conservancy.
Dorsett said Florida's decision was especially important because 76 percent of red snapper caught in Gulf waters off of state coastlines come from Florida. Texas also does not follow the federal guidelines, but only 10 percent of the red snapper are caught off of the Texas coast, he said.
'We are very disappointed. This needed to be a state and federal partnership. They are talking about a go-it-slow approach but this fishery has been under management since 1986 and they are still at just 3 percent of the historic spawning population,' he said.
By keeping the extended charter season, the state is not allowing red snapper to reach maturity. The majority of snapper caught are young, immature fish, he said.
Dorsett said environmental groups will ask the federal government to tighten the restrictions in federal waters to compensate for the federal actions.
The new guidelines allow commercial fishermen to catch up to 2.55 million pounds of snapper, while recreational anglers are limited to 2.45 million pounds per year.
In previous years, officials have allowed up to a total of 9.1 million pounds to be caught. Regulators say the snapper, which have been overfished since the mid 1980s, need time to rebuild in the Gulf of Mexico.
Commissioner Kenneth Wright of Winter Park said he considered the economic troubles of the Panhandle fisherman, who are already facing rising gas prices and lost tourism because of the national economic downturn.
'We have to take into account the importance of the fishery to the community,' he said. 'We are setting here with these folks who are having to suffer incredible economic consequences the likes of which may not be sustainable.'
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