RED ROCKED — Snapper shutdown, federal fishing ban means smaller bite for area captains

Destin fishing captains are looking for some relief.

In the days following the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, the fishing area for charter boats grew smaller and smaller, leaving them only state waters to fish. And now the season for the signature red snapper has come to a close.

“We need something and we need it now,” said Capt. Mike Graef of the Huntress.

“They should have never closed it, and they should have opened federal waters yesterday,” he added.

For the last couple of months, captains have been forced to fish in just state waters, which is nine miles into the Gulf. Anything beyond the nine-mile mark is federal waters and was closed down due to the encroaching oil spill.

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But today things are looking much better.

“We’re wide open,” Graef said. “There’s no oil here.”

Capt. Olin Marler of Olin Marler Charter Fishing agrees with Graef.

“They should extend the season, even through October,” Marler said, noting the fishery hasn’t been hurt.

“And they need to open federal waters,” Marler said. “It’s absolutely ridiculous to have these federal waters closed.

“We’re restricted every way you turn. All our officials from the city, state, senators and congressmen should be trying to get the federal waters open so we can get to where the fish are.”

Although captains do catch grouper and amberjack in state waters, they do tend to live in deeper waters.

Capt. Buddy Godwin of the charter boat Indian Outlaw would like to see the red snapper season back and go through October.

 “We’re not going to kill all the fish. We just catch what we need,” Godwin said.

“It ridiculous what they are doing to us,” he said. “We’re farmers, we pick what we eat.”

As for federal waters, “Open it and let us go fishing,” Godwin said. “The last time I was out there you couldn’t get a bait to the bottom because of the snapper.”

Godwin said the state waters are “being beat down with boats fishing on top of boats.

“They need to open this mess back up so we can fish,” Godwin added.

Capt. Andy Vaughn of the charter boat Special K agrees that federal waters should be open, however, he’s got a different take on red snapper.

“I don’t want them to open red snapper,” Vaughn said. “I’d rather see them add what we have left on to next year,” he said referring to the fishing quota.

“Let’s save it and have a longer season,” Vaughn added.

He said there are not many people in town and kids will be back in school next week.

“People are not going to run down here and catch snapper for a week,” he said.

However, the opening of federal water, “would help us to go back fishing.” Plus he noted that the opening of federal water would help with the Destin Fishing Rodeo that takes place the month of October.

“Let’s save the snapper until next year. We don’t need them now, because nobody is here.”

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