SAFMC Meeting on Red Snapper, Other Closures Draws Dissent - Florida Sportsman

by David Conway
SAFMC Meeting on Red Snapper, Other Closures Draws Dissent: "Stuart, Florida, June 10. More than 150 people gathered Tuesday night to voice their concerns, outrage and protest against impending red snapper closures in Atlantic waters. The public hearing was held by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC).

The 2 1/2 hour-long session drew anglers, charter captains and prominent members of the marine industry and conservation communities from as far away as the Carolinas and Washington, D.C. More than 25 people directly addressed the Council’s 20 attending members with concerns about issues now on the table at the SAFMC’s week-long meeting in Stuart, at the Hutchinson Island Marriott. The hot topic of most of the comments was the pending closure of the red snapper fishery in Atlantic waters. Testimony against that measure was intense, personal and often grave."