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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
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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!

# 350:

1:55 pm PDT, May 18, Cathy Barash, Iowa

# 349:

1:55 pm PDT, May 18, Gordon Condit, Ohio

# 348:

1:55 pm PDT, May 18, Paul Toxie, Virginia
A wise man once said: "If you want to bring a nation down, give it too much." America wise up and start giving back. A good place to start is with giving the red snappers a chance.

# 347:

1:55 pm PDT, May 18, Carolyn Foote Edelmann, New Jersey
Red Snapper is uniue and excellent. It must be allowed to recover from our greed!

# 346:

1:55 pm PDT, May 18, Milton N. Bradley, New York
Why must the drive for short term profits continue to override sound long term policy? Extinction is forever! Now is the time for intelligent management!

# 345:

1:55 pm PDT, May 18, Michael J. Hoffman, Florida

# 344:

1:55 pm PDT, May 18, D Wiemer, Connecticut

# 343:

1:55 pm PDT, May 18, Jeff Brignac, Texas
Only after the last tree has been cut down, Only after the last river has been poisoned, Only after the last fish has been caught, Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.

# 342:

1:55 pm PDT, May 18, Dennis Mac donald, New York

# 341:

1:55 pm PDT, May 18, Dawn Beattie, California

# 340:

1:55 pm PDT, May 18, Erick Hanson, California

# 339:

1:55 pm PDT, May 18, Mark Sonder, CSEP, Virginia
Let's go fishing for humans as there are billions of them! Please think on what is best for this fish, the oceans and the environment. Please do the right thing!

# 338:

1:55 pm PDT, May 18, Rich Brown, Missouri

# 337:

1:55 pm PDT, May 18, Robyn Finer, Pennsylvania

# 336:

1:55 pm PDT, May 18, Ella Tepper, Florida

# 335:

1:55 pm PDT, May 18, Aelred Glidden, Michigan

# 334:

1:54 pm PDT, May 18, Chetan Kumar, Arizona

# 333:

1:54 pm PDT, May 18, Sharon Schmidt, Colorado

# 332:

1:54 pm PDT, May 18, Matthew Orr, New York

# 331:

1:54 pm PDT, May 18, Leah Roschke, California

# 330:

1:54 pm PDT, May 18, Mark Swoiskin, California

# 329:

1:54 pm PDT, May 18, E. Carey Dietrich, California

# 328:

1:54 pm PDT, May 18, Natalie Whiting, California

# 327:

1:54 pm PDT, May 18, Michele Polana, California

# 326:

1:54 pm PDT, May 18, C Wrinn, Connecticut

# 325:

1:54 pm PDT, May 18, Susan Odlum, Washington
Soon it will be gone. Then what? Save it now, before it's too late.

# 324:

1:54 pm PDT, May 18, Carrie Gavin, Washington

# 323:

1:54 pm PDT, May 18, Elizabeth Valovich, Arkansas
We cannot continue to overfish our oceans. The ocean is a delicate ecosystem. When one species is lost it affects the entire ecosystem. Our oceans are in enough danger from global warming, coral bleaching, and pollution without the added danger of over fishing.

# 322:

1:54 pm PDT, May 18, Thomas Wiewandt, Arizona

# 321:

1:53 pm PDT, May 18, Frank Van eeckhout, Colorado

# 320:

1:53 pm PDT, May 18, Janet Swails, California
Yet another example of human greed and indifference destroying a species. When will we ever learn?

# 319:

1:53 pm PDT, May 18, Heidi Shuler, Florida

# 318:

1:53 pm PDT, May 18, Name not displayed, Michigan

# 317:

1:53 pm PDT, May 18, Alyssa Conn, California
We must act now to protect our oceans!

# 316:

1:53 pm PDT, May 18, Daniel Romeo, Massachusetts

# 315:

1:53 pm PDT, May 18, Suzy Bryant, Texas

# 314:

1:53 pm PDT, May 18, Lisa A. Brooks, Minnesota

# 313:

1:53 pm PDT, May 18, Mia Kavantjas, California

# 312:

1:53 pm PDT, May 18, Anne Little, Virginia

# 311:

1:53 pm PDT, May 18, Sabrina Choi, Illinois

# 310:

1:53 pm PDT, May 18, Harry Lewis, North Carolina

# 309:

1:52 pm PDT, May 18, Thomas Lynn, Pennsylvania

# 308:

1:52 pm PDT, May 18, Loren Williams, Rhode Island

# 307:

1:52 pm PDT, May 18, Walter Reece, California

# 306:

1:52 pm PDT, May 18, Name not displayed, Nevada

# 305:

1:52 pm PDT, May 18, Rebecca Ianieri, California
we must protect our oceans and all that live in it!

# 304:

1:52 pm PDT, May 18, Mary Louise Wooldridge, Maryland

# 303:

1:52 pm PDT, May 18, Jodi Lazar, Illinois

# 302:

1:52 pm PDT, May 18, John Haines, California

# 301:

1:52 pm PDT, May 18, T Logan, Texas
ALL commercial fishing, if they want to have a sustainable supply

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