Tropical storm extends snapper season 2 days

Federal fisheries officials Wednesday announced a two-day extension of the red snapper recreational fishing season for anglers fishing from private boats in Gulf of Mexico water under federal jurisdiction.

The season for the popular reef fish, which had been scheduled to close at 12:01 a.m. Friday, will now close at 12:01 a.m. Sunday.

The move comes after Florida Gov. Rick Scott requested U.S. Department of Commerce grant a threeday extension after Tropical Storm Colin effectively prevented private-boat anglers in the eastern Gulf of Mexico from fishing for snapper during several days of a nine-day season that opened June 1.

Federal officials set length of the recreation fishing season for red snapper based on estimates of how many days it will take anglers to land their portion of the annual allowable catch of the marine fish.

With weather preventing any significant harvest of red snapper in the hard-fished eastern Gulf off Florida and Alabama over the only weekend of the recreational season, extending the season two days is designed to allow anglers to “make up” for those lost days on the water.

This season extension applies only to Gulf water under federal jurisdiction, which, for red snapper fishing regulations, begins nine nautical miles off the coast of each state bordering the Gulf of Mexico. Inside nine nautical miles, state regulations apply.

Texas allows yearround recreation harvest of red snapper in state-controlled waters, although relatively few of the deepwater-loving snapper are taken in the state’s shallow near-shore waters.

The two-day extension will not impact recreational anglers fishing on charter boats or other for-hire vessels holding federal permits to take paying anglers fishing for red snapper.

The 2016 season for the for-hire component of the recreational red snapper fishery is set to run 46 days — June 1 through July 16.