Feds set 9-day recreational red snapper season

Recreational anglers’ season to begin Wednesday, June 1

If you blink, you might miss it.

The always elusive red snapper recreational season was announced Wednesday, and anglers will have a whopping nine days this year to venture into federal waters in search of a fish that no one but the feds believes is threatened.

The season will begin at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, June 1, and wrap up at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, June 10 — that’s one day shorter than the 2015 federal season.

The recreational sector’s annual catch limit will be reduced from 7.192 million pounds in 2016 to 7.076 mp in 2017, and the annual catch target for recreational anglers was also revised downward from 5.754 million pounds in 2016 to 5.661 mp in 2017.

Federally permitted for-hire vessels will also begin fishing on June 1, and will end on July 17 at 12:01 a.m. for a 46-day season.

The federal water red snapper bag limit is two fish per person per day, with a 16-inch minimum total length size limit.

For more information on how the season lengths were calculated, click here.