![Counting On The Reefs]()
Counting On The Reefs
By David Rainier, Alabama Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources
As anglers along the Alabama Gulf Coast gear up for the June 1 opening of the shortest red snapper season ever this summer, there is hope among fisheries officials that this 40-day snapper season will be an exception rather than a trend.
The reason for optimism is because of a unanimous vote by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council to develop a management plan that would include artificial structures as “Essential Fish Habitat.”
Alabama boasts the most extensive and celebrated artificial reef program in the nation with more than 1,200 square miles in five offshore zones. Reef fish, especially red...