Northeast Florida Fishermen accuse FWC of ‘cronyism’ over red snapper permits

A group of Northeast Florida fishermen is voicing frustration over what they call “cronyism” in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) permit system for red snapper fishing.

[@primate2744]

Please keep reporting on this! People don't understand how mismanaged our fishery is currently.

[@markwesthoff1757]

I used to travel 1000 miles and spend about 2k per year, but got fed up with FWC waiting until the last minute to announce snapper season. It is the local businesses that suffer.

[@primate2744]

I only have to drive around 45 min and it's just as frustrating for me as it is you man, trust me.

[@Jamalcornbread1488]

They literally just made fishing a right! Time to exercise your 2A right against these tyrannical thugs

[@winesap2]

Before there were limits on fish the fish were being fished to extinction. Not a whole lot of good fishing if there are no fish left. Tragedy of the commons.

[@primate2744]

​I have no issue with bag and size limits, but if you haven't been out fishing in Florida in recent years then you have no clue how the red snapper have completely taken over. They are everywhere.

[@larrycampbell6133]

@@primate2744agreed! And I’m old enough to remember when alligators were endangered and eventually removed from the endangered list. The limits need to be updated to coincide with the changes in the species population when the need to limit is minimized like is should be now

[@RodneySlinger]

These are well-founded accusations.

[@robertaltman3801]

Everyone knows there's more red snapper than there have ever been and the whole thing is a big scam.

[@flogrown4333]

Yup, it's all about tax dollars. If you catch them, there's no tax..... But if ur forced to buy it......

[@leversforever9748]

Pay to play that's how it works!!

[@flogrown4333]

The fact that there's still a less than 3 day season on red snapper is pure corruption. They're so over populated

[@slewhousecnc5050]

1 day this year. And they are everywhere, some days it's hard to catch anything other than red snapper. As that guy said at the end of the video, the seabass, vermillion and grouper populations are hurting because the red snapper are eating everything.

[@mxbass1036]

On the east coast we had a ONE DAY red snapper season! It's a effing joke, I catch them all the time. It would be generous to say half of them make it back to the bottom without getting eaten.

[@rangewizard]

Been fishing in Florida all my life. Never kept a red snapper but I’ve had to throw a ton back even ones hit by a barracuda on the way up. Such a waste, I can never make the short season but I also can’t even get a permit to keep a few on a day I catch a few. Not a fair or intelligent way of managing fisheries or local fishermen who just want to catch and eat a couple a year.

[@davidperez4755]

FWC HAVE TO MANY RULES

[@jebbohanan2626]

It all stems back to “Less than honest” fishermen. If those fishermen would abide by the rules and laws, there wouldn’t be a need for a so called Lottery.

[@deadskunk8733]

No matter how you look at it commercial fishing has brought numerous fish and crab species to the brink of extinction. Battle Cry Blackened Redfish !!!

[@deanfulford69]

😂😂😂

[@luc5731]

Cut off charters from over catch permit n I believe if recreational fisher men need a license on a boat so should every1 on a charter boat no license no fishing make it fair

[@saltyandsouthern]

We need to send Trump a letter and get these guys that can’t do their job out of the agency

[@saltyandsouthern]

The fact that a government agency who has been changing our regulations for years is now “asking other anglers” to help gather data shows how poor of a job they’ve done in the past years. They have no clue what the hell they are doing. They send an employee down to the boat ramp for a few hours a day and ask about what was caught… barely scratching the surface on actual reef populations. How about hire a commercial diver and go visually monitor populations?

[@aSouthFloridian]

I trust fisherman a lot more than I trust FWC to be conservationists, but..don’t make me eat my words.

[@phillipchancey]

They do it with gators too

[@johnfeola6047]

W😊hat do you expect from a government organization,I don’t know where they come up with their information and it’s across the board with multiple government organizations dealing with wildlife,forestry ,water and fisheries that the information coming from them doesn’t match up to what is actually happening that can be seen by anyone out there affected by the regulations imposed on them

[@kevvism]

The objective of the program is to get research to improve the situation. Hope with the info provided from these trips the regulations will change next year.

[@444outdoor]

Same with Mississippi.. investigation is needed

[@bmxbowhunter99]

These are facts not accusations , we need to hold our local government accountable.

[@gymleaderjake1579]

Just make the lottery a once in a lifetime

[@dirkswart8950]

Bureaucracy could ruin a ball rolling down hill

[@dustinrano3175]

Not taking the snapper will definitely disrupt the fishery. When the limits were dropped along with the seasons on the northern gulf , all of the other species suffered.

[@whome1629]

What a total waste, all that fish head could have been used.

[@Mhart1976]

What is the commercial season? Are they managing for recreational fishermen or commercial. Are they overpopulated if you take into account commercial limits? Commercial sector: In 2022, commercial landings of red snapper totaled approximately 7.3 million pounds and were valued at $35 million, according to the NOAA Fisheries commercial fishing landings database.

[@demcanes01]

Bringing home the snappppahhh

[@bobbymoses1314]

Unfortunately we just voted to give fwc unrestricted authority we got screwed they promoted it as a guarantee for hunting and fishing rights. which we already have

[@CrawfishCuban]

I believe it....them boys do shady shhh and ive witnessed it in broward while i was on community service...storm had made lobster storm the beach. It was wild. The fwc guy had a john boat one dude diving in throwing lobster on the boat. I saw lobster crawling on the beach and people scooping them up in beach bags. Only time i ever heard of lobster storming the beach.easy pickings

[@charlesachinelli3857]

People are greedy getting favors for opportunities to gain

[@michaeltaylor4984]

FWC is crooked like a dogs hind leg

[@timmartz8177]

Take FWC personnel out fishing. OOPS they don't come home.

[@winesap2]

So a lot of hearsay in this. Not a lot of facts. Can’t you look into the accusations?

[@josephfigura5227]

What friends do for friends

[@johnx4181]

Ya think

[@Local_knowledge_required72]

Florida, you just voted to give FWC unchecked authority. They will do what they want now.

[@thefunkygamer155]

CORRECT. PEOPLE ARE SO DUMB. THEY ACTUALLY VOTED TO AMEND THE FLORIDA STATE CONSTITUTION TO GIVE FWC ADDITIONAL OVER-REACH, AND CONTROL OVER THEM. "RIGH TO FISH" WAS A GREAT SUCKER PLAY. AND IT WORKED!

[@Rik-l2d]

I'm from the government and I'm here to help.