Regional management, sector separation to be discussed
Another public hearing will be held this evening in Baton Rouge in the ongoing debate over sector separation and red snapper management in the Gulf of Mexico.
Tonight’s meeting, which will begin at 6 in the Doubletree at 4964 Constitution Avenue, will focus on Amendment 39, which would allow individual Gulf states to manage recreational anglers, but would leave the the for-hire and commercial sectors to be overseen by the federal government.
According to a release from the Coastal Conservation Association, this would be a worst-case scenario for recreational anglers.
“To make Amendment 39 remotely effective, the states must be allowed to manage the entire recreational fishery — private boat anglers as well as charter/for-hire and headboat operators,” the release states. “To do that, anglers should demand that the council adopt Alternative 4 in Action 2 of Amendment 39, which would eliminate sector separation and allow the states to manage the recreational sector as a single unit.”
The meeting is scheduled to end no later than 9 p.m.
