Pew Urges Fishery Council to Remain Committed to Recovery Plan

Press Releases and Statements Read time:

Navigate to:

  • Table of Contents
Pew Urges Fishery Council to Remain Committed to Recovery Plan

Holly Binns, of the Pew Environment Group, issued the following statement today in response to the Department of Commerce's decision to suspend part of the South Atlantic red snapper recovery plan until fishery managers consider results of a new study. Red snapper fishing is still prohibited from North Carolina to Florida, but a proposed 4,827 square mile area closed to bottom fishing will not go into effect for 180 days, giving the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council time next week to approve possible changes to the closure. 

“We can live with a short delay as long as the council does what science dictates to save red snapper from further decline and protect our ocean ecosystem. Overall, the new study shows the bottom line has not changed: Red snapper are at dangerously low population levels and are in urgent need of help. 

The closed ocean area is designed to protect red snapper caught accidentally when fishermen target other species.  Accidental catch is a major source of red snapper mortalities and managers must address this problem. Suspending this part of the plan now should not preclude managers from giving the area closure full consideration when they meet next week.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has reduced the size of this ocean closure repeatedly—from a possible 26,600 square mile area to the 4,800 square miles approved in June—to allow as much snapper and grouper fishing as possible and address fishermen's economic concerns. Well-intentioned efforts to ease short-term economic costs could end up hurting this fishery, our ocean ecosystem and the jobs it supports in the long run. This species reached this condition in the first place because decades of unsustainable fishing were allowed to continue without sufficiently strong rules. Overall, we remain cautiously hopeful the final recovery plan will get the job done, so we will have enough red snapper to support jobs, fishing, seafood and recreational opportunities for everyone in the future.”

America’s Overdose Crisis
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Quick View
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
RELATED
Topics
Ocean Conservation
Places
South Atlantic

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

A worker in a seafood market dumps bright orange shrimp from a blue bin onto a bed of ice between a lot of other seafood laid out for sale. Other workers are visible in the background, as are the arms of shoppers placing orders from the other side of the ice bed.

Article

April 22, 2024 Seafood Industry Benefits From Greater Vessel Transparency
An aerial view of a vast wetland, with scattered vegetation visible on sandy islands.

Article

April 19, 2024 In Western Australia, a Conservation Model for the World
A large group of people in formal or traditional attire stands together on a stage, with a digital background depicting marine life and the large text “WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.”

Article

April 10, 2024 WTO Needs to Redouble Its Effort on Fishing Subsidies

MORE FROM PEW

A presentation being given by a businesswoman to a group of participants at a business conference. Four Plan Features Can Boost 'Retirement Readiness'
An illustration of a couple holding hands walking away from an outline of houses behind them Pathways to Homeownership: Housing in America
A photograph of City Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia to Address Pressing Policy Challenges
A bright blue T-cell infected by HIV is engulfed by hundreds of yellow virions. Pew Researcher Seeks to Crack Code on HIV Cure
Composite image of modern city network communication concept

Learn the Basics of Broadband from Our Limited Series

Sign up for our four-week email course on Broadband Basics
Quick View

How does broadband internet reach our homes, phones, and tablets? What kind of infrastructure connects us all together? What are the major barriers to broadband access for American communities?

Pills illustration
Pills illustration

What Is Antibiotic Resistance—and How Can We Fight It?

Sign up for our four-week email series The Race Against Resistance.
Quick View
Pills illustration

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, also known as “superbugs,” are a major threat to modern medicine. But how does resistance work, and what can we do to slow the spread? Read personal stories, expert accounts, and more for the answers to those questions in our four-week email series: Slowing Superbugs.