Red snapper fall federal season begins Oct. 1

BATON ROUGE - In a move anticipated by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries officials, NOAA Fisheries rejected red snapper landing estimates from its own Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) and set a 14 day fall season in Louisiana federal waters beginning next Tuesday, Oct. 1.

Estimated recreational landings of red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico after the first federal season in June indicated that the entire 2013 recreational allowable harvest had been exceeded by more than 14 percent; at that time these estimates had not even accounted for Texas landings.

The fall federal season will begin Oct. 1, and end Oct. 14, with a two fish limit and a minimum size of 16 inches. In an effort to provide for compatible regulations in Louisiana state waters, LDWF Secretary Barham, with the support of the Wildlife & Fisheries Commission, is opening state waters concurrently with the federal opening.

The Louisiana, weekend-only season will end Sunday, Sept. 29. There will be no red snapper fishing on Monday, Sept. 30. State and federal waters will be open on Oct. 1, with a two-fish limit and a 16-inch minimum.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana's abundant resources. For more information, visit us at www.wlf.louisiana.gov on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ldwffb or follow us on Twitter @LDWF.