Private Angler Red Snapper Season Extended
Red snapper is a favorite among anglers on the Alabama Gulf Coast, and luckily, this year’s snapper season has been extended.
With high fuel prices and inclement weather early in the season, private recreational anglers have not come close to Alabama’s one-million-pound-plus quota for the state’s iconic reef fish – red snapper. Scott Bannon, Director of the Alabama Marine Resources Division, said offshore fishing on Memorial Day weekend was way off because of bad weather.
Bannon said the typical red snapper harvest on that opening weekend is about 150,000 pounds, but the 2022 harvest for the same weekend was only a few thousand pounds. He said that is the beauty of state management of the red snapper season. Private anglers can wait for better weather and not take a chance on a risky outing because the quota determines when the season will end. Bannon said the private recreational season, which is open Friday through Monday each week, will remain open until December 31 or until the quota is met, which is not likely.
Alabama private anglers can catch two red snapper daily with a minimum length of 16 inches.
As of the week before Labor Day, the private recreational harvest was less than 400,000 pounds, about a third of the state’s quota. With school and football season starting, Bannon doesn’t expect a significant increase in anglers venturing into the Gulf of Mexico to catch red snapper.
Of course, high fuel costs played a role in the reduced fishing pressure for many anglers, who are limiting their red snapper trips to one or two a year instead of going every weekend when the weather is suitable.
Although Alabama private anglers haven’t come close to the quota, the news is good for the proposed catch limits for the 2023 season. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council (GMFMC) recently took final action to modify red snapper catch limits.
These recommendations are based on recommendations from the Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee because of updated estimates from the Great Red Snapper Count in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas and a study done in Louisiana.
Because of the evidence of the abundance of red snapper, the Council chose to decrease the overfishing limit and increase the acceptable biological catch, annual catch limits, and annual catch targets. Of course, any action taken by the GMFMC must be approved by NOAA and the Secretary of Commerce before taking effect.
Alabama’s red snapper quota for 2022 was 1,122,662 pounds. The 2023 quota for Alabama private recreational anglers will be 1,212,687 pounds if approved.
Hopefully, fuel prices will decrease, and the weather will cooperate so Alabama anglers can take advantage of this valuable fisheries resource.
For those who don’t have their own boat or friends with a vessel, the Alabama charter fleet (for-hire vessels) still operates under the federal red snapper season, which ended on August 18. Last year, the Gulf of Mexico charter fleet did not catch its quota, and the season was reopened for three weeks in the fall.
Check your favorite boat’s web page or Facebook page regularly to see if that will happen for the 2022 season.
Even if the charter season doesn’t reopen, plan a trip to Alabama’s beautiful Gulf Coast. The fall is a great time to enjoy the sugar-sand beaches and amazing seafood from Alabama's Gulf coast.
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