Texas and Louisiana have sued to block federal fishery officials from regulating the length of the red snapper recreational fishing season in federal waters off their coasts.
BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) - Texas and Louisiana have sued to block federal fishery officials from regulating the length of the red snapper recreational fishing season in federal waters off their coasts.
According to a federal rule instituted in March, there has been a quota to control the amount of the fish taken from the Gulf of Mexico each year. But federal officials maintain it has been consistently exceeded, because states such as Texas run a longer season in their own waters. Once the quota is reached in combined state and federal waters, regulators end the season in federal areas.
Texas allows year-round fishing in its waters for red snapper.
The lawsuit was filed Monday in Brownsville. Texas and Louisiana are challenging the federal government's authority to make the emergency rule.