A leader in Alabama's charter fishing business says new federal limits on red snapper will only hurt the state's industry.
The federal government has reduced this year's recreational snapper season in the Gulf of Mexico from 11 days to nine days, starting June 1.
The president of the Orange Beach Fishing Association, Tom Steber, says there's a chance some anglers won't even come because the season is so short. He calls the length of the upcoming season "insane."
An arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration decided the change was needed because Louisiana opened its state waters year-round in April.
The head of Louisiana's fisheries agency, Randy Pausina, says the shortened season will hurt Alabama particularly badly because its marine fishing industry is built around red snapper.