Alabamians angling to catch some red snapper can begin baiting their hooks on May 22 this year, per an announcement from the Alabama Department of Conservation on Monday.
According to the Department, the season will consist of all the four day weekends, Friday through Monday, between May 22 and July 19.
The addition of Mondays to the season is new for 2020. Commissioner Chris Blankenship of the Dept. of Conservation said his team added Monday due to “many requests from anglers who wanted more weekday access.”
Alabama’s senior U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) called the addition of Mondays “Great News” in a tweet. He added the new law will be “allowing fishermen more time on the water.”
Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope) praised the decision in a statement to Yellowhammer News.
“Today’s announced 35-day season represents a further step towards building a healthy fishery while allowing our fishermen access to this valuable resource,” said Byrne. “It is rewarding for all of us who fought for state control of our snapper fishery to see another full, flexible state-managed season, and I will keep fighting to protect and continue our progress.”
The season dates announced Monday do not apply to commercial fishermen who get their licenses from the federal government.
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources asked anyone planning to go snapper fishing to consider the following reminders:
- Weekends are defined as 12:01 a.m. Friday through 11:59 p.m. Monday.
- The daily bag limit is two red snapper per person, per day with a minimum size limit of 16 inches total length.
- Anglers over the age of 16 must have an Alabama saltwater fishing license (resident or nonresident, annual or trip), or any Alabama resident angler 65 or older or lifetime saltwater license holder must have a current saltwater angler registration. The saltwater angler registration is free and available at www.outdooralabama.com/saltwater-fishing/saltwater-angler-registration.
- All anglers; including residents and non-residents 16 years of age and older, including lifetime license holders, disability license holders and those 65 and older, must have a Gulf Reef Fish Endorsement to fish for or possess any reef fish. The Gulf Reef Fish Endorsement can be purchased online at www.outdooralabama.com/license-information.
- Each vessel landing red snapper is required by law to complete one landing report per vessel trip of their harvested red snapper through Snapper Check prior to removing the fish from the boat or the boat with the fish being removed from the water. All red snapper landed in Alabama are required to be reported regardless of the jurisdiction in which they were caught.
- Anglers under the age of 16 are not required to be licensed or have saltwater angler registration, but their catch must be included in the landing report.
- A landing report may be submitted through Snapper Check in the Outdoor AL mobile app, which is available from the Apple and Android stores or online at www.outdooralabama.com. If you have previously downloaded the Pocket Ranger version of the mobile app, please uninstall it and download the current Outdoor AL app. Paper landing reports and drop boxes are also available at select coastal public boat ramps.
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.