MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2021 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Representatives Zuber, Haney, McKnight, Patterson, Crawford, Anderson (122nd), Williams-Barnes
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENT OF MISSISSIPPI'S TAILS N' SCALES PROGRAM AND SUPPORT FOR EVERY RECREATIONAL ANGLER IN MISSISSIPPI TO HARVEST RED SNAPPER DURING A SEASON SET BY THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF MARINE RESOURCES AND MANAGED ACCORDING TO TAILS N' SCALES.
WHEREAS, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources developed the Tails n' Scales Reporting Program to account for Mississippi red snapper anglers' catch and effort; and
WHEREAS, Tails n' Scales has been peer reviewed and found to be "a high-quality estimate" for the Mississippi recreational red snapper fishery and that it would provide more, better quality and more timely data than the NOAA Fisheries' Marine Recreational Information Program's associated landings and effort estimates; and
WHEREAS, NOAA Fisheries, under the United States Department of Commerce, certified Tails n' Scales design and found it to be an improvement in monitoring red snapper catch; and
WHEREAS, NOAA Fisheries, under the United States Department of Commerce, and the Gulf Council issued Mississippi an exempt fishing permit to manage red snapper fishing using Tails n' Scales to monitor catch and effort; and
WHEREAS, red snapper recreational anglers have complied with Tails n' Scales with a compliance rate greater than 95% which in turn has provided the best red snapper recreational fishing data ever recorded; and
WHEREAS, NOAA Fisheries, under the United States Department of Commerce, and the Gulf Council, have initiated a process to scale Tails n' Scales data into Marine Recreational Information Data, disregarding the scientific achievement Tails n' Scales has made, despite NOAA's own scientists on its Standing, Reef Fish, Ecosystem, & Socioeconomic SSC Meeting stating Tails n' Scales really rings a bell and is almost a "census" of fish caught and not just a survey; and
WHEREAS, Mississippi's Constitution, Article 3, Section 12A guarantees the people the right to fish and harvest fish under good management practices; and
WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to commend the Department of Marine Resources' scientists for their achievements in fishery management science and from time to time recognize and remember that every citizen has the liberty and privilege to catch and harvest fish:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby recognize Tails n' Scales as the best scientific information available for monitoring red snapper catch and effort in Mississippi, recognize the need for NOAA Fisheries, under the United States Department of Commerce, and the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council to not scale Tails n' Scales data into the Marine Recreational Information Program data until all additional information, such as the Great Red Snapper Count, is accounted for, analyzed, and incorporated into a new stock assessment, and recognize the need for NOAA Fisheries, under the United States Department of Commerce, and the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council to allow Mississippi to set a quota not to exceed recent years' allocations and to continue monitoring recreational red snapper harvest through Tails n' Scales, and support Mississippi anglers' constitutional right to harvest fish while using the best science available.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished directly to the United States Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, each member of the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council, Mississippi's United States Senators and Representatives, and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.