Rob Bishop: “In the same way Federal lands must be accessible to sportsmen and -women, so must our Federal waters as well. I concur…”

“In the same way Federal lands must be accessible to sportsmen and -women, so must our Federal waters as well. I concur with the gentleman that there is an access problem with the red snapper. The underlying bill extends the Gulf State coastal waters to 9 miles, requires fish to be counted around reefs, and requires the incorporation of State and local data on red snapper management so that the red snapper population will be counted. Almost everyone agrees that the population is undercounted, but counting more fish does not guarantee that recreational fishermen will have more days in Federal waters. I want to work with the gentleman from Louisiana, Mr. Miller of Florida, and any other coastal States Representatives to have hearings and move along other bills that may come about.”