Orlando Sentinel: U.S. Rep. John Mica wades into proposed snapper ban

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OrlandoSentinel.com

U.S. Rep. John Mica wades into proposed snapper ban

Ludmilla Lelis

Sentinel Staff Writer

July 25, 2009

With a potential ban on red snapper fishing coming this fall, U.S. Rep. John Mica is wading in on the debate, asking federal fishery managers to take another look at the red snapper population.

The Winter Park Republican has introduced a bill aimed at the potential fishing closure that might take effect later this year. Fishing organizations strongly oppose the potential ban, criticizing the science behind it.

"I'm not opposed to a ban if in fact the information is accurate," Mica said Friday. "These people are definitely adamant about what they're seeing out there about the stock and supply of red snapper."

The National Marine Fisheries Service has announced a potential six-month ban on recreational and commercial fishing of red snapper from North Carolina to Florida. The federal agency will accept public comment until Aug. 5 on the proposal and will issue a final decision on the regulation this fall.

It's uncertain how far the bill will go, if Congress takes its usual summer hiatus in August. However, Mica said the bill, with backing from other legislators along the coast, aims to forestall the potential economic damage from a fishing ban.

"It couldn't come at a worse time. The economy is a disaster, and many coastal communities will suffer heavy losses," he said.

A federal fisheries report found that red snapper is overfished, down to 3 percent of a healthy stock and that the scientists have found the red snapper population lacks the larger, older fish, which are key to the fish's reproductive capacity and its future. That assessment, completed in 2006 with data from 2004, is due for an update next year.

"In the long run, what we all want is an extremely healthy, sustainable fishery," said Sera Drevenak, with the Pew Campaign to End Overfishing in the Southeast.

Several fishing groups, including local captains, said the data is flawed and are collecting their own data to refute the findings.

Ludmilla Lelis can be reached at llelis@orlandosentinel.com or 386-253-0964.

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