[HungryJack]

The 2021 red snapper fishing season for vessels with federal for-hire reef fish permits is
63 days in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf).

• The season for federally permitted for-hire vessels will begin at 12:01 a.m., local time, on June 1, 2021, and will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on August 3, 2021.

HOW THE SEASON WAS DETERMINED:

• The red snapper total recreational quota is 7,399,000 pounds whole weight. 57.7% is allocated to the private angling component and 42.3% is allocated to the for-hire component.
• For the for-hire component:
  • The 2021 quota for the federal for-hire component is 3,130,000 pounds whole weight.
  • The annual catch target for the federal for-hire component is 2,848,000 pounds whole weight, which is 91% of the quota.
  • The number of days for the federal for-hire component to harvest its annual catch target was projected using recent catch rates and mean weights.

NOAA Announces the 2021 Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper Recreational For-Hire Season

FB21-018: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Bulletin; For more information, contact: Daniel Luers: 727-824-5305, [email protected]

www.fisheries.noaa.gov