Ban on fishing snapper off southeast is likely

Agency wants fishermen to hold off for six months to let species replenish

SAVANNAH, Ga. – After three decades as a charter fishing guide, Steve Amick says he’s never seen red snapper as large or plentiful as he did last year off Georgia’s Atlantic coast. Soon, catching them could be illegal.

Scientists for the federal government say the bountiful catch reported from Florida to North Carolina is a shallow illusion. The red snapper population, they say, is dwindling and needs a break from decades of overfishing.

A federal agency