Company Name & Company Type: Caught Up Fishing Charters LLC
Sector: Charter  
Years in Business: I’ve been recreational fishing for 35 years. Tournament fishing for 20 years. Chartering for 9.

Actual effects & losses felt by Red Snapper Closure: $1000 for a 5hr trip, 2-3 trips a day, totaling $2,000-$3,000. Reduced down to 1 a day to make money and keep operation going.

Thoughts on Red Snapper Closure & Proposed Bottom Fishing Closure:

When red snapper season opens everybody that has a boat wants to get a fish to bring home. Any angler that fishes in the ocean knows that these fish are over abundant and that’s the only fish we catch these days besides sharks. They are everywhere, and we can’t get past them to catch other fish.

Over the last decade we have seen the days of open fishery for red snapper decrease from 2 weekends, to 5 days, to 4 days,  to 3-2-1 day to fish for your 1 snapper. Most angler acts as if it is a gold rush because we aren’t allowed to keep these fish any more, except your one day now. They are now a delicacy, and it’s dangerous. The ocean conditions aren’t ever in favor but they don’t close the date or reschedule it which means people are risking their lives to go fish or get on a boat that might not be well kept enough for an ocean trip. If we had a daily bag limit of 1 per boat and set a regulation on red snapper it would make the “Gold Rush effect” stop. The casualties would stop, and the US Coast Guard wouldn’t be so overwhelmed, and everyone would be alive and happier.

Over the last decade of fishing red snapper season I have lost lots of money. We went from fishing 2 weekends to 1 day, and I can’t make the money that my business has potential to make, despite the fact that the stock is clearly there. I rely on these days to make as much money as possible to keep my business afloat, pay the bills that need to be paid, and keep the permits that I have. Why do I have them if we can’t keep any fish anymore? Clients don’t want to hire a charter boat on the East Coast anymore because they can’t keep as many fish as they can in other fishery districts. What do I do when I’m out of work, after my life has been dedicated to this career? Thanks for listening. I really love what I do and I plan on doing it much much longer.
 

Preconceived Losses/Effects of Bottom Fishing Closure based on Red Snapper Experiences:

I rely on certain months to target certain species. Depending on the migrations and regulations to when we can target these species. How can I make money when we don’t have any species of fish to catch anymore?