Rep. Mica seeks delay on snapper ban
U.S. Rep. John Mica introduced legislation Thursday to delay a proposed six-monthmoratorium on red-snapper fishing in the Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina to Florida. Mica, R-Winter Park, wants a new study done on the fish population. "The fishermen I've talked with, both sport and commercial, say . . . there are strong runs of snapper and grouper," he said. Federal fisheries managers approved the moratorium in March. Final action is pending from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Mica said implementing the moratorium would cripple the sportfishing industry along the entire coast. Responding to Mica's bill, the Pew Environmental Group's Campaign to End Overfishing in the Southeast issued a statement saying studies already show the red snapper is facing extinction. "Congressman Mica's bill . . . will only delay much-needed action to save red snapper." In May, the Fishing Rights Alliance, a nonprofit advocate for recreational saltwater fishing, filed a lawsuit in U.S. district court in Jacksonville opposing limits on grouper and snapper fishing, which the group asserts is based on "flawed" research.
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