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pinsjeepster · Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 9:23 am Post subject: Offshore 4.28 Red Snapper

I went out last saturday with a group from work on the new kingfisher out of Port A. Everybody got there limit and one young buck pulled in both them sows. The sad thing is the limit after 5.1.07 went down to 2. That is going to crush the sportfishing business. Who's to blame? The sportfishing,the commerical fishing , the shrimpers or all? If you shut it down for a few years
to get the numbers back up what will stop the shrimpers from the needless killing of the red snapper pups that get caught in their nets?

Jay Gardner AKA snookered · Guest

It's a complicated issue, and I really hate to see the local "head boats" and economy suffer as a result of the red snapper deal.......

between you, me, and the fence, I don't think the sportsfishing aspect of snapper fishing is to blame at all for the crisis.....

landlocked beachbum · Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 5:20 pm Post subject:

FWIW, here's a similar story and a little different take on the same issue. I was at my sisters condo in Destin last September. I had my boat and my castnet [10'] and right under my condo I was averaging 40-45 2" - 4" pinfish with every cast, a dream come true. One cast and I could fish for a day or two. Unfortunately for me the Redfish limit is one per person per day in Florida, 17" - 27" slot. After a couple of days of fishing I found a good spot and could have stayed seemingly until I ran out of bait, and most of the fish were over the slot. Same thing the next day. I'm not that wild about reds for the table but I'm sure that some folks are. Anyway, as we all know, they are a blast to catch and the Redfishing guide business down there is thriving, even with the very low limit. So, it seems like there is no shortage of folks who will pay to go even though they can't keep anything, or close to it. Granted, Red Snappers are GREAT eating, especially when compared to Redfish, but I'll bet that people keep going and the fish numbers and size will skyrocket, just as they did in Florida and Texas with the Reds and Trout when limits got tougher and slots were introduced.
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Dave

"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits". Albert Einstein

kingtender · Flour Bluffian in training Joined: 30 Oct 2006 Posts: 436

Anyone heard about the texas great barrier reef. Supposed to solve the problem scientist say.

www.texasgreatbarrierreef.com

landlocked beachbum · Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 8:42 pm Post subject:

Kingtender, that is VERY cool. Isn't it ironic [and typical] that the oil rigs that all of the hippies were crying about 40 years ago are what gave the gamefish a good place to live and made a great fishery. Florida has been building artificial reefs for years, there are many even close inshore to Destin pass. The coast of Texas doesn't drop off nearly as fast as Florida but I'm glad to here about this!
_________________
Dave

"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits". Albert Einstein

pinsjeepster · Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 7:03 am Post subject:

That looks like a winning solution Very Happy

I'm wondering after the reefs are in place if TPWD could expand their hatchery program to stock them will snapper ,snook, tarpon Very Happy

landlocked beachbum · Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 8:08 am Post subject:

I may be heresy to some but the Lexington would probobly have done at least as much good as an offshore reef as sitting in Corpus Christi bay as far as an influx of money to the local economy is concerned. That it would have DRASTICALLY improved the fishing is a no brainer. A carrier was sunk outside of Pensacola last year.

http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=23692

I'm curious as to why Florida and Alabama have SO MANY artificial reefs and Texas seems to be so lacking? Texas is usually ahead of the curve on most things.
_________________
Dave

"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits". Albert Einstein

Jay Gardner AKA snookered · Guest

Permitting and $$

The Texas Great Barrier Reef project has lofty goals, and I would like to see a copy of the permit for that project.......

anyone?

landlocked beachbum · Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 9:34 am Post subject:

It does sound very lofty, but would really be something if Texas can pull it off!
_________________
Dave

"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits". Albert Einstein

Ross · Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 9:23 am Post subject:

landlocked beachbum · Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 9:54 am Post subject:

I couldn't agree more. If EVERYONE abided by laws and regs it would be a better world all around. Everyone wants the commercial guys to follow the regs even with little inforcement and I'm sure that a great % off the guys who post on this forum are good, basically honest folks too, but when I see people posting things like ignoring "No Trespassing" signs and "yakking" out lines from piers etc [even though no boats are allowed around the pier] and I see people admtting that although they live and fish down there they don't have any idea what the regs are concerning sea grasses etc, I wonder where the problems really lie, not just speaking of Red Snapper of course.

Tons of artifcial reefs would go a long way toward mitigating the impact that the commercial guys have on the offshore fishery. Just like in Field of dreams, if you build it they will come!
_________________
Dave

"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits". Albert Einstein

wilded · Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 10:31 am Post subject:

Remember there used to be commercial fishing for snook in Texas until the population was decimated. Sad

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pinsjeepster · Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 1:20 pm Post subject:

From the reading I've been doing there seems like there is no check or balance system that is being enforced to keep the commercial fisherman from making all the fish go away. Who has ever seen a federal game warden? If they would drastically reduce the commercial harvesting of red snapper it would force aquaculture to be a solution to feed the masses. Check out this web site http://aquanic.org/beginer/systems/offshore.htm
It would restore a balance.

Jay Gardner AKA snookered · Guest

that's right Wilded, there USED to be a commercial snook fishery......

I'm not sure the commercial red snapper fishermen are totally to blame either for the dilemma.......especially when science (however sound or unsound, that's another argument) shows that the greatest pressure on red snapper is the gulf shrimper.......

how many of you have been offshore and traded beer for cull? how many of you have gone through the cull and seen what's in there? almost all of our juvenile red snapper........

that's why NMFS/Dept. of Commerce is currently being sued by a couple of fishing groups..... they HAVE to sort it out in the next two years.....they have been MANDATED to do so......

the texas great barrier reef is a great idea.......how many tons of material do they need to put down? per foot? per 100 feet? per mile? per 700 miles? think about the scope of that project......now think about how much $$ its going to cost.......think about permitting, and even if regulators will allow it.......and what THAT costs.......

how much money will it take to build a great barrier reef? question is, will that "fix" anything?

landlocked beachbum, you raised an interesting point.......would "tons of artificial reefs really go a long way in MITIGATING the impact commercial guys have?" so, you are proposing that the commercial sector provide money for the artificial reef program to MITIGATE their impact?

wow, that's a heavy concept.......wonder what the commercial guys would think of that? (anyone?)

also raises another good scientific question, does the placement of more artificial reefs equate to more fish in the system? complicated answer...where did the snapper live before man built oil rigs? were there more or less fish before/after rig placement?

good topic....

Ross · Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 1:49 pm Post subject: