NOAA increases red snapper limit

Area fishermen have been saying for years there are plenty of red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico, and news came this week that their government agrees with them.

NOAA filed a final emergency rule Thursday to increase the total allowable catch and to possibly reopen the Gulf of Mexico recreational red snapper season. The emergency rule will “provide authority to the Regional Administrator to reopen the recreational red snapper season after the September 30 end of the fishing season and to increase the red snapper total allowable catch by 345,000 pounds (from 7.185 million pounds to 7.53 million pounds) for the 2011 fishing year.”

Local fishing officials said that could translate to a six-day red snapper season in October.