Roy Crabtree Has More On His Plate Than Red Snapper

Roy Crabtree’s high profile job has cast him as a central figure in the Gulf of Mexico red snapper debate that encompasses three distinct interests; charter-for-hire captains, private anglers and commercial fishermen. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink

by Ed Lallo/Gulf Seafood News Editor

Roy Crabtree, Ph.D., has a lot on his plate beside Gulf Red Snapper. As the regional administrator of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service’s Southeast Regional Office overseeing Gulf fisheries, the fish popular to both recreational and commercial fishermen has drawn the majority of  his attention for more than two years, as well as that of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council.

Crabtree’s high profile job has cast him as a central figure in the Gulf of Mexico red snapper debate. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink

Crabtree’s high profile job has cast him as a central figure in the Gulf of Mexico red snapper debate that encompasses three distinct interests; charter-for-hire captains, private anglers and commercial fishermen.

During recent Gulf Council meetings held in Biloxi, MS, Crabtree said that although the red snapper issue has indeed been the hot topic, both the Council and NOAA continue work with fisheries outside the spotlight.

“I certainly would like to see us figure out a better way to handle the red snapper issue in the recreational fishery.   We have other issues with the recreational fisheries beyond red snapper, especially now with amberjack. We’ve got problems figuring out how to operate under annual catch limits and how to apply those to the recreational fisheries,” said Crabtree, sitting in a hallway outside the Council meeting held at the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino.

Gulf Projects

NOAA has just completed a new assessment on Gulf gag grouper which, according to Crabtree, was a huge issue with the Council a few years back. The assessment deemed the fishery rebuilt. Both NOAA and the Council have also started new projects involving the mackerel and amberjack fisheries.

Crabtree sees the overall health of the fisheries in the Gulf as being in the best shape they have been in a long time. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink

“The agency needs to look at amberjack and figure out where we are going to go there. That fishery is still in a rebuilding plan,” he said about the fishery gaining popularity with the shortened snapper season. “We need to figure out what we need to do to get that on a better trajectory toward recovery.”

There are also concerns with red tide, a result of high concentrations of karenia brevis, a microscopic marine algae that occur naturally but usually in lower concentrations. In high concentrations, its toxin paralyzes the central nervous system of fish so they cannot breathe. It can also be deadly to humans.

“There is definite work to be done on discovering more about red tide, especially with the current outbreak along the Florida and Louisiana coasts,” he said. “The University of South Florida’s Marine Science department is looking at predictive capabilities of conditions conducive to red tide. The last time we had a large outbreak was in 2007, and it killed a lot of fish, especially the gag stock.”

Crabtree sees the overall health of the fisheries in the Gulf as being in the best shape they have been in a long time. “I hear from a lot of people that the fishing in the Gulf is the best it has been in decade,” said the regional administrator who has served in the position since January 2003.

Interagency Cooperation

The fishery administrator sees a definite need for better interagency cooperation. He thinks the idea of regional management, especially with the private sector, has some merits and might be one way to address some of these issues.

“We talk a lot with the states, the problem is that we don’t always agree,” he explained. “The states are responding to their situations and the laws they are required to follow, and we are responding to ours. That often puts our interests at odds. Usually we are on the same page, but sometimes we are not. At the times that we’re not, like with the recreational red snapper, we get a lot of attention and it has a lot of consequences.”

According to Crabtree, the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill remains to be fully understood. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink

The impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill remains to be fully understood. He thinks the jury is still out on whether there is going to be any long-term impacts on the fisheries.

The agency recognizes that universities are not producing stock assessments graduates at the level needed, even with NOAA funding to university programs.

“We fund fellowships at universities that have graduate students in marine fisheries science, such as at the University of South Florida as well as nationwide at other universities, he said. “Jim Berkson at the University of Florida is paid by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, and is there to train students in programs such as stock assessments.”

“There are also lots of discussions on the government creation of a national certification program. It has come up in Congressional hearings,” he said. “I think folks are looking right now to see what Congress is going to do, and what authorities they may give us. There is definitely a lot of interest, but when it comes down, it will be a Congressional decision.”

Electronic monitoring

When questioned on the use of electronic monitoring for the charter-for-hire industry, “I think that is the way we are heading,” he said. “The technology is there and I think that is where the Council wants to go, we just need to figure out how to fit the pieces together. The burden will be on the charter boat owners to report accurately.   I think in the future you will see more electronic reporting and monitoring.”

He also hopes that NOAA will have the capabilities in the future to interface more quickly with third party technology that is usually on the cutting edge.

e also hopes that NOAA will have the capabilities in the future to interface more quickly with third party technology that is usually on the cutting edge. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink

“There will always probably be some lag between cutting edge technology and the government catching up to it. It is just evolving so rapidly, and issues of the security of data systems against hacking is a top priority, so anything that we interface with has to be safe and secure.   Anything that we use has to go through a number of certifications before it can be implemented and in a format that interface with our systems,” explained Dr. Crabtree

Whatever electronic program is eventually implemented has to be useful and improve the situation for recreational fishermen. Issues arise on voluntary reporting because it might not be representative of the fishery as a whole, or be biased in some way.

“Before we commit to go down a path, we want to make sure we know what we are doing and that it will actually produce better data than what we have,” he said. “What we don’t want to do is go backwards and waste a lot of time and effort.”

Crabtree thinks that Gulf fisheries have been in a rough spot over the past few years, but feels that all parties will eventually work through it.   He said, “Red snapper is certainly in the best shape it has been in 30-plus years, gag has been rebuilt and most of our stocks are heading in the right direction. The more players you have, the more fisheries you have to deal with to get everybody on the same page. I really think we will get there; we have been there more often than not in the past.”

Tags: Featured, fisheries, Gulf Council, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, Gulf Seafood Instititute, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA