The Harte Research Institute based in Corpus Christi, Texas began a tagging program this spring to help better understand the habits of red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico. To encourage and motivate fishermen to participate in this study they have tagged approximately 4,000 red snapper across the Gulf of Mexico with tags that are worth up to $500.00 per fish caught. The fish can be tagged with either one or two tags and each tag has a dollar value.

The red snapper pictured at right has two tags worth $250.00 each which in this case is worth a total of $500.00 to the lucky fisherman who caught it. Each tag is printed with a dollar reward value, phone number for reporting the catch and the tag number. The tags can either be cut and saved when releasing the fish or the fish can be kept and the tags removed while cleaning the fish.

When reporting the catch to the Harte Research Institute via phone they will ask questions about the fish such as the tag(s) number, date and time caught, weight, length, coordinates where caught and depth of water. The tags mush then be mailed to the Harte Research Institute in Corpus Christi who will then mail the reward to the participating fisherman in the form of a VISA gift card equal to the value of the tags. This program is ongoing till December 31, 2019. The tagged fish pictured was caught offshore from Port O’Connor and one lucky fisherman is now $500.00 richer!

Red Snapper season in federal waters was officially closed for us at 12:01 a.m. on August 2. The fish shown in my photo/article was caught on Tuesday, July 30 which was before the federal season closed. Red snapper season does not open again in Federal waters till next year unless they open it again for a day or two yet this year which they sometimes do. However, red snapper season in Texas waters is open all year long but that applies to Texas waters only which extends only 9 miles from the Texas coastline. Oddly the number of red snapper you are allowed to keep in federal waters is only two with a size limit of 16” minimum. In Texas waters you may keep four per person and the minimum size is 14”. – Dave Pope