Shareholders' Alliance in the News

"The time has come to plan for the future – to put the fish first and make some hard decisions that ensure that all fishermen have enough fish to sustain their businesses, their communities, and their hobbies." - Glen Brooks, Board Member

July 13, 2024

The appointments “are a positive step in the right direction by maintaining a balance of interests on the Gulf Council, with three of the 17 members making a living in the commercial or charter/for-hire fisheries under the Gulf Council’s purview,” according to the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance.

July 8, 2024

The new Gulf appointments “are a positive step in the right direction by maintaining a balance of interests,” according to the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance. 

July 2, 2024

“In the last six months, data from Gulf states shows that the recreational fisheries have declined over the last four years. The average size caught is smaller, too. That’s a sign that the population is in distress. When the next stock assessment comes out...I fear more data showing the fishery is not as healthy as it has been.”  - Eric Brazer, Deputy Director 

June 26, 2024

“We applaud this effort to improve the systems we need to maintain and grow resilient and competitive seafood businesses and sustain resilient fisheries for today and future generations.”  - Eric Brazer, Deputy Director 

June 18, 2024

"First and foremost, fisheries management decisions must be based on science, not politics. Especially in mixed-use fisheries here in the Gulf of Mexico." - Gary Jarvis, commercial and charter captain

June 10, 2024

"We need to know that the diversity of our fisheries and communities have fair representation, and that the entities charged with developing the regulations that we must live under are balanced and diverse in a way that reflects the people and communities they impact." - Jason DeLaCruz, Vice President of the Shareholders' Alliance

June 7, 2024

“Wayne was a skilled fisherman and a visionary who believed deeply in the importance of building bridges between fishermen and scientists. His commitment to bridging the gap between the commercial fishing and scientific communities was instrumental in advancing sustainable fishing practices and preserving our marine ecosystems for future generations.” 

March 25, 2024

"The court questioned whether Amendment 53 meets standards under federal fisheries management law – specifically National Standard 4 that "provides that the allocation of fishing privileges shall be 'reasonably calculated to promote conservation,'" as well as National Standard 9, which states that “to the extent practicable shall minimize bycatch and … to the extent bycatch cannot be avoided, minimize the mortality of such bycatch.’”

March 6, 2024  

 "With the March 1 ruling, the appeals court “found that NMFS contradicted its own economic analysis, and failed to explain how the reallocation promoted conservation or minimized bycatch,” the fishermen’s groups said in a statement.  “The court remanded the action to NMFS for further explanation.” 

March 5, 2024  

"Two years ago a coalition of commercial fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico sued the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for reallocating red grouper fishing quota from the commercial sector to the recreational sector. "

March 4, 2024  

"The appellate court on Friday sided with the district court on affirming part of the basis behind Fisheries Service’s rule. However, it sent Amendment 53 back to the agency based on an economic analysis underlying the rule that the agency had previously rejected in 2016 when allocating the red snapper catch between the recreational and commercial fishing sectors."

March 4, 2024