While most of the changes under discussion could be described as fine-tuning, snook and rays could get new protective limits.
Scott Bannon, director of the Marine Resources Division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, speaks at a meeting on possible changes to saltwater fishing rules.on possible changes to saltwater fishing regulations showed that officials are considering changes that could affect how Alabama anglers go after shark, flounder and red snapper , among other species.
Marine Resources will present its findings to a Conservation Advisory Board in early 2025, Bannon said. That board could recommend changes or further study by late spring.Existing limits for sheepshead were set in 2012: 10 fish per person per day, with a minimum fork length of 12 inches. Officials say they’ve seen a decline in “recreational catch per unit of effort” as well as a decline in commercial landings.
Early on, officials thought the snook were visiting but not overwintering in Alabama waters. Now “they seem to overwinter,” said Anson. This is part of a larger trend of warm-water fish extending their habitat northward as global ocean temperatures rise. It’s called “tropicalization,” and what could be healthy for some species might be harmful for others.
The audience on hand at Tuesday’s meeting seemed to favor taking action to nurture the snook fishery, possibly even the institution of a catch-and-release protocol or a tagging program.Officials say they’re picking up on concern about the tripletail population and are waiting on more data. While it’s too early to say, that data could lead them to tighten up the existing recreational and commercial limit of three fish per person per day, with a minimum total length of 18 inches.
Bannon said that if ray hunters are removing “35 to 70 tails per trip, that’s 35 to 70 critters that reproduce very slowly” that are dead or injured, with a potential long-term impact on the population. “I just don’t think that’s a sustainable practice,” said Bannon. “I definitely don’t think it’s good stewardship.”
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