Last week, Sen. Tommy Tuberville voiced his concerns about a rule being pushed by the U.S. Department of Commerce that could have a negative and direct effect on Alabama’s economy.

The new rule requires the National Marine Fisheries Service to use a single, less-accurate federal data system for recording fisheries within the state. Many think it’s possible the new data system will greatly decrease the amount of snapper that can be caught.

Tuberville criticized the Biden administration for implementing what he called a “one size fits all approach.”

“Once again, the Biden administration is trying to force its one-size-fits-all approach and ignore the adverse effects of its decisions,” said Tuberville. “Red snapper fishing is a huge part of Alabama’s Gulf Coast economy, which is why I’ll continue pushing back against the Department of Commerce’s disastrous proposal to decrease limits for red snapper anglers based on inaccurate data.”

Col. Scott Bannon, director of Marine Resources Division, was also not positive in his assessment of the new rule.

“We do agree with Senator Tuberville that we don’t like this new calibration,” he said. “Unfortunately, we knew this was coming. We naturally are not happy about it. We’ve argued that since the implementation of state management, we’ve had our most consistent fishing in the red snapper fishery.”

The rule is expected to slash the red snapper catch limit for 2023 by 51%, according to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.