Care2 member? Log in

Act Now to Save Red Snapper

Target: Peter Hood; Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council
Sponsored by: The Ocean Conservancy

Contrary to what your mother told you, there are only so many fish in the sea. And, while most people recognize that the ocean's bounty is central to our very survival, we have too often failed to recognize that ocean resources are finite. They can be exhausted.

Without immediate action, red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico face further depletion that jeopardizes the long-term health of this signature fish population.

For over two decades Gulf fishery managers, whose responsibility it is to protect and sustain our fish populations, have ignored science and repeatedly set catch levels too high. As a result, the spawning population of Gulf red snapper is down to 3% of its historic abundance.

In early June, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council adopt new measures for red snapper, and time is running out to get the plan right.

Tell the Fish Management Council to work aggressively to end overfishing of red snapper and to rebuild the population as quickly as possible.

deadline: 5-28-2007
goal: 10,000

15,560
signatures!

Sign Petition! see who signed this

log in
Success! Because of the Ocean Conservancy's hard work and dedicated people like you, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council adopted a plan to set a science-based catch limit for red snapper. Thank you! Please click here for more petitions.

I am deeply concerned about the health of red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico. Red snapper is vitally important to the ocean ecosystem and the fishing communities that depend on them. Failure to stop the depletion of red snapper poses threats for the fish, fishermen, consumers and coastal economies.

As an Ocean Conservancy supporter, I write to urge the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council to implement management measures in Amendments 27 & 14 (as part of the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, or "DSEIS") that will end the overfishing of red snapper and rebuild red snapper as quickly as possible.

In order to restore the health of the Gulf red snapper population, I urge you to adopt measures that: (1) set a scientifically based catch limit that will end overfishing by 2009 and rebuild red snapper as soon as possible; (2) greatly reduce bycatch in the red snapper fishery, as well as bycatch from shrimp trawls to levels necessary to end overfishing and restore red snapper; (3) enforce catch and bycatch limits so that they are not exceeded as they have been in the past; and (4) provide economic incentives for fishermen to achieve conservation benefits.

Continued overfishing of red snapper is bad for the Gulf ecosystem and bad for fishing communities reliant on sustainable fishing which healthy stocks can provide. As stewards of our natural resources, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council has the responsibility to use sound, science-based catch levels and other conservation measures to ensure a healthy and productive Gulf ecosystem. Please uphold your duty as stewards of our fisheries by taking action now to restore red snapper to healthy levels.

Sincerely,
/Your Name/
/Your Address/
/Your City, State, Zip/

We signed the “Act Now to Save Red Snapper” petition!

# 15,500:

6:20 pm PDT, Jun 3, Yvonne Beck, Texas

# 15,499:

4:58 pm PDT, Jun 3, Esteban Mendoza, California

# 15,498:

4:21 pm PDT, Jun 3, Name not displayed, Florida

# 15,497:

3:42 pm PDT, Jun 3, Christine Eardley, New Jersey

# 15,496:

1:26 pm PDT, Jun 3, J. Attamante, New Jersey

# 15,495:

11:47 am PDT, Jun 3, Sandra Tardff, Maine

# 15,494:

2:35 am PDT, Jun 3, Dawn Florio, Ohio

# 15,493:

1:43 am PDT, Jun 3, Name not displayed, Wisconsin

# 15,492:

6:31 pm PDT, Jun 2, Rudy Hernandez, Missouri

# 15,491:

2:29 pm PDT, Jun 2, Name not displayed, Michigan

# 15,490:

1:38 pm PDT, Jun 2, Mark Mazique, California

# 15,489:

1:36 pm PDT, Jun 2, Dominique Briano-Mazique, California

# 15,488:

1:33 pm PDT, Jun 2, Paulina Mazique, California

# 15,487:

1:32 pm PDT, Jun 2, Milton Wolfson, Pennsylvania

# 15,486:

12:19 pm PDT, Jun 2, Timothy Greenlee, Kansas

# 15,485:

9:53 am PDT, Jun 2, Uta Cortimilia, Alabama

# 15,484:

8:59 am PDT, Jun 2, Richard Miller, Maine

# 15,483:

7:55 am PDT, Jun 2, Donna Juselis, North Carolina

# 15,482:

7:05 am PDT, Jun 2, Nicholas Pomata, South Carolina

# 15,481:

4:46 am PDT, Jun 2, Margi Reed, Georgia

# 15,480:

4:25 pm PDT, Jun 1, Armida Franceschini, California
We have overfished our seas its time to stop.

# 15,479:

3:37 pm PDT, Jun 1, Susan Manning, New York
I urge you to help save the red snapper and discourage overfishing.

# 15,478:

2:35 pm PDT, Jun 1, Kristin Hulett, California

# 15,477:

1:38 pm PDT, Jun 1, Barbara English, California

# 15,476:

11:23 am PDT, Jun 1, Katie O'Connor, Illinois

# 15,475:

8:42 am PDT, Jun 1, Dusty Stepanski, New Jersey
Save the fish now while there is still time....instead of waiting till it's too late!

# 15,474:

7:33 am PDT, Jun 1, T Smith, Georgia

# 15,473:

4:37 am PDT, Jun 1, Malin Therese Mathisen, Norway

# 15,472:

8:41 pm PDT, May 31, Name not displayed, Idaho

# 15,471:

7:50 pm PDT, May 31, Adaiah Thompson, California

# 15,470:

7:46 pm PDT, May 31, Alisha Carter, Connecticut

# 15,469:

2:17 pm PDT, May 31, Emily Norton, South Carolina

# 15,468:

11:55 am PDT, May 31, Kazia Macey, Missouri
Please take steps to allow the redfish a come back. Destroying a food source by over fishing it is not acceptable nor is it responsible.

# 15,467:

11:55 am PDT, May 31, Tomoko Nakamura, New York

# 15,466:

11:24 am PDT, May 31, Louise To, California

# 15,465:

10:31 am PDT, May 31, Kim Hannah, Tennessee

# 15,464:

8:14 am PDT, May 31, Sara Post, Ohio

# 15,463:

7:36 am PDT, May 31, Hamilton Davis, South Carolina

# 15,462:

7:35 am PDT, May 31, Louie Contreras, Illinois

# 15,461:

7:27 am PDT, May 31, Jacquelynn Maruffo, Florida

# 15,460:

2:39 am PDT, May 31, Gina Gallo, Pennsylvania
You need to look only to the Marine reserve of Poor Knights Islands off New Zealand. We have to have total protected Marine zone to allow Fish stocks to recover & once again teem with fish. Fishermen can fish up to the reserve and these places increase spawning stocks. There is no reason not to do/look into this.

# 15,459:

10:58 pm PDT, May 30, Julia Anne Tawyea, Pennsylvania

# 15,458:

9:08 pm PDT, May 30, Richard D. Sampson, Wisconsin
It is high time to protect the red snapper and to enact polocies that reduce overfishing in general. We are already feeling the economic effwcta, as well.

# 15,457:

8:46 pm PDT, May 30, Alyce Hetherington, Florida

# 15,456:

8:13 pm PDT, May 30, Ian Noah, California

# 15,455:

7:53 pm PDT, May 30, Mako Wicked, Australia

# 15,454:

7:46 pm PDT, May 30, Heather Payne, North Carolina

# 15,453:

7:36 pm PDT, May 30, Hayley Somers, Colorado

# 15,452:

7:25 pm PDT, May 30, Chantelle R., Canada

# 15,451:

7:12 pm PDT, May 30, Name not displayed, Florida

View Signatures:
|<
<
15,560
15,500
15,450
15,400
...
150
100
50
>
>|