New Snapper Regulations in Effect By DAVID RAINER
Anglers who fish the Gulf of Mexico for reef fish species that include all snappers, groupers, sea bass, amberjacks, triggerfish, hogfish, red porgy and tilefish came under new fishing gear regulations and a reduced red snapper bag limit as of June 1, 2008.
The new gear rules require anglers to use non-stainless steel circle hooks when using natural baits to fish for Gulf reef fish. De-hooking devices and venting tools are also required.
Vernon Minton, head of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Marine Resources Division, said research shows that circle hooks are more likely to hook fish in the corner of the mouth instead of in the gut cavity or throat.
 “There are a couple of things with circle hooks made of non-stainless material,” Minton said. “First, if a fish is hooked in such a way that the hook can’t be safely removed, you can cut the line and the enzymes created by the fish will cause the hook to deteriorate rapidly. Also, the way the circle hook is made is it moves in the mouth until it meets resistance and then turns and hooks, most of the time, in the soft tissue in the corner of the mouth. These hooks were used by the Japanese long-liners and they proved they work very well.
“We have some research on circle hooks, and it will take some adjustment for those people who are accustomed to setting the hook like (legendary bass angler) Bill Dance. All you have to do is reel down and keep reeling. There is no hookset needed. The circle hook hooks itself. Mortality is very low compared to release mortality with J hooks.”
Minton said the new red snapper bag limit of two fish per person with a 16-inch minimum will mean a lot of undersized fish will be caught and released. Hence the need for the requirements for de-hooking devices and venting tools.
A de-hooking device, which comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, allows the hook to be removed with minimal damage to the fish by securing the hook and shielding the barb.
Reef fish that are caught in from depths of 50 feet or more may require venting because of expansion of the gasses in the swim bladder as they are reeled to the surface. A bloated belly, bulging eyes and the protrusion of the stomach into the fish’s mouth are signs of a distended swim bladder that needs to be vented.
“We did a lot of work in the 80s and 90s, bringing back large red snapper for brood fish,” Minton said of the research done at Claude Peteet Mariculture Center in Gulf Shores on captive spawning of red snapper. “We used a 16-gauge needle to vent the fish. We found out the faster we vented the fish, the better they survived. The longer people wait to vent the fish, the more problems are caused by the gasses. It can get behind their eyes and cause what is called pop-eye.
“Plus, if a fish is released without proper venting, the longer a fish floats on the surface the more likely a predator – like a dolphin – will come along and it’s not going to make it. Venting lets them swim back to the reef and dramatically increases their survival. We highly recommend a needle. We ask that you don’t use an ice pick or knife because it causes to large of an area of trauma to the fish. And, if the stomach is expanded into the fish’s mouth, do not vent the stomach. People punch a hole in the stomach and think they’ve done something, but the swim bladder is still inflated. We did some work with Auburn, where they did some histological work and examined gas bladders three to four days after being punctured and they could find no signs of the venting.”
Despite the new gear regulations, Minton is still concerned with release mortality with the two-fish bag limit.
“Because red snapper fishing has been so good off the Alabama coast because of our extensive artificial reef program, people have seen the larger fish and they want to keep the 17-18-19-inch fish,” Minton said. “With culling, they wait until get right size fish and keep that one. Unless the boat has a large livewell, that’s not going to work well.
“High-grading is what we’re most concerned about – where they put a fish in the box and a bigger one comes along and they throw the small one back. Then you have two dead fish. The best thing would be to catch the first two fish and go home and there would be no hooking mortality. But the minimum length limit does not allow that.”
Minton also said a rumor that red snapper season will be extended past the current August 5, 2008 ending date is unfounded.
“I called Dr. (Roy) Crabtree (National Marine Fisheries Service Southeast Region Director) and he assured me there is nothing to it and the season will end August 5,” Minton said.
For more information, contact the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council at 888-833-1844, or visit www.gulfcouncil.org and click on Education and Outreach.
Visit http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sf/pdfs/Discard%20Mortality%20FAQ.pdf for detailed information on the new fishing gear regulations.
PHOTO: Red snapper, vermillion snapper and a variety of other reef fish came under new fishing gear regulations as of June 1, 2008.
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