Friends,

If the charter fleet and private recreational fishermen are going to stay afloat then we as a whole must contact our governmental contacts or representatives and demand they act on the crisis of the red snapper dilemma. We must keep our season and our bag limits as they were... I and other Captains in the fishing business need your support. This will affect the business sectors also (restaurants retail sales fuel grocery stores condo rentals and etc.). Please forward this message to any and all that will support our cause to fish and support our families.

Respectfully,

Captain Dick Cappar

Email from Bob Zales:

Here are the names of the various Senators and Congressmen and their contact information.  Please share this with anyone who you feel will help.  We now have Taylor, Gulf, Bay, Okaloosa Counties in FL.  There are efforts working to get Franklin County.  We are waiting to hear about Escambia County.  We have Baldwin County and all the cities near Orange Beach and there are efforts to get Dauphin Island and Mobile County in AL.  We need the counties and cites on the MS coast, we are trying to get cities and parishes in coastal LA, and we know of efforts in Aransas Pass, TX but need more along the TX coast.  I have listed proposed legislation that we have sent to our FL and AL delegations for them to consider should we get them down to the coast for hearings.  This legislation or no other will happen if we do not get gulf wide help to get congress here.  Please let us know if you need additional info.  Thanks,

Bob

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the reef fish fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico shall not be required to be rebuilt by a specific date provided that the annual level of fishing does not exceed the net reproduction rate for that fishery such that the fishery is rebuilding each year.  If the objective set forth in this section is not met for any of the Gulf of Mexico reef fish fisheries in one year, and the Secretary of Commerce shall adjust the fishing rate in that specific fishery in subsequent years to compensate for any overage. 

FLORIDA SENATORS