Alabama anglers are getting their rods and reels ready for the start of Red Snapper season. The state will open the waters off the Gulf coast this Friday. People fishing in Alabama waters can collect just over six hundred pounds of snapper this year. That’s down from last year’s haul. The state says last year’s smaller catch was due to bad weather in the Gulf, including two hurricanes which churned up the waters. Scott Bannon is with the Alabama Department of Conversation and Natural Resources. He says his agency is always watching weather conditions…
“That upcoming Memorial Day weekend, if the weather is not really good, people don't go, and I don't want them to go when the weather is bad. That's the beauty of state management and having a quota is those fish are still there for you to fish later in the year.
The state says setting limits on what anglers can catch is part of the strategy to maintain fish populations. Species including Amberjack and Great Triggerfish, which are sought after by fishermen, are reportely not as well as the Alabama Department of Conversation and Natural Resources would. Red Snapper, on the other hand, appears high. Scott Bannon with the agency says along with rods and reels, there’s something all Alabama anglers need to have…
“Don't forget to buy their saltwater fishing license, their Gulf Reef Fish endorsement, because that's what helps me pay the bills, and the reef endorsement pays for that science that goes on in the snapshot that we get from University of South Alabama. And please be safe. Wear your life jackets and be safe out there.”
Bannon says the research by the University of South Alabama includes deploying an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV,) with a camera to collect imagery of fish swimming in Gulf waters to help estimate the population.
