The Descend Act awaits President Donald Trump's signature to become law
Keith Magill | The CourierLouisiana lawmakers, conservationists and sport-fishing groups are praising passage of a measure they say will help sustain red snapper and other fish stocks in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Descend Act, which awaits President Donald Trump's signature to become law, mandates that offshore anglers carry a simple $12 tool that helps ensure the fish can survive after being returned to the water.
The Senate gave final approval to the measure last week; the House passed it in October.
The bill requires recreational, commercial and charter boats to carry a venting tool or a descending device while fishing for reef fish in the Gulf's federal waters.
Here's the problem: Red snapper and other reef fish are often returned to the water for a variety of reasons. For instance, they might be caught out of season, undersize or over the catch limit.
The rapid change in pressure from being brought to the surface from deeper waters causes many of these fish to experience barotrauma. The condition causes gas pressure to build up in the fish's body, making it difficult or impossible to swim back down to its normal depth. As a result, many fish die at the surface or fall victim to predators.
One solution is a venting tool, which looks like a big syringe or a small ice pick. Fishermen use it to puncture a small hole in the fish's body that allows the pressure to escape so the fish can swim back down to its normal depth.
Another option is a descending device, a weighted hook anglers can attach to the fish's mouth. Once the fish reaches its natural depth, the angler can jerk the line and release the fish.
The Descend Act requires fishermen to have one of either tool, rigged and ready to use, aboard their boats.
"With the Descend Act, we are going to see more fish, more fishing opportunities in the Gulf, more tourism and better sustainability of our fisheries," said U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, who sponsored the bill in the House. "This is a win-win for conservation and good eating."
U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., co-sponsored the bill in the Senate.
“With passage of the Descend Act, Congress continues to take conservation-focused steps toward better sustainability of our fisheries which ultimately lead to more opportunities for folks to get out on the water," Cassidy said in a news release. "Louisiana’s recreational and commercial fishermen can be assured that we will maintain healthy populations of our reef fish that are so vital to our regional economy.”
Among groups supporting the measure is the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. It cites a 2016 congressional study that estimates 3.7 million snapper died after being released back into the water.
“This bill will work with other important reforms passed in the Modern Fish Act two years ago and other measures to ensure the reef fish in the Gulf of Mexico are well-managed and that conservation is given the highest priority,” Chris Macaluso, the partnership's director of marine fisheries, said in a prepared statement.
About 2.6 million saltwater anglers fish the Gulf every year and contribute $13.5 billion to the economy while supporting 138,817 jobs, sport-fishing groups say.
“Anglers have long recognized their responsibility to practice successful catch-and-release to ensure our fisheries are healthy and sustainable for future generations,” said Pat Murray, president of Coastal Conservation Association, one of the nation's largest sport-fishing groups. “Descending devices are an available, effective tool for properly conserving our marine resources and we look forward to the positive impacts of this legislation on recreational fisheries going forward.”
Recreational fishermen as well as U.S. lawmakers from Louisiana and other Gulf states have for years complained that federal authorities have set overly restrictive catch limits and unnecessarily short seasons for red snapper despite a rebound in the popular species’ numbers. Environmental and conservation groups counter that the shortened seasons are necessary to help the species meet federal targets for rebounding after years of severe overfishing.
“In 2016, we won the battle to wrestle control of flawed red snapper management from the federal government. We now have better fish management, better access to fishing and improved economic activity," Graves said. "We’ve created a foundation for successful state management of the species through our previous legislation, and the [Descend Act's] unanimous approval in the Senate is reflective of the progress we have made."
-- Courier and Daily Comet Executive Editor Keith Magill can be reached at 857-2201 or keith.magill@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @CourierEditor.
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Fish-saving measure wins praise from anglers, conservationists - Houma Courier
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