Carter joins NOAA letter urging reconsideration of restrictive recreational fishing regulations: U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter

WASHINGTON – Representative Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) today joined Representative Russell Fry (R-SC) and 17 House Republican colleagues in a letter to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) urging it to reconsider its proposal to shorten the recreational fishing season for red snapper along the South Atlantic Coast to a single day on July 12, 2024.

The letter comes as recreational anglers, local businesses and the broader tourism industry warn that overly restrictive regulations are threatening the livelihoods of their industry.

In a letter, members write: “NOAA’s failure to provide reasonable access to abundant red snapper fisheries undermines the interests and economic well-being of our coastal and fishing communities. Each of our congressional districts boasts a thriving fishing industry that is an integral part of our local economies.”

Although NOAA cites overfishing as the reason for the new regulations, available data indicate high red snapper abundance, high recruitment of juvenile fish into the population, and improving age structure of the South Atlantic stock.

Read the full letter to NOAA here.