Letters: Protect red snapper | World Cup joy | Two-party failure

Letters to the editor focused on protecting red snapper from overfishing and on broader themes that readers associated with the World Cup. William Higgins, a former president of the Central Florida Offshore Anglers Club and former recreational fishing advisory panel member to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, cited the Magnuson-Stevens Act of 1976 as the legal basis for preventing overfishing in U.S. waters. He argued that Gov. Ron DeSantis cannot open federal waters for red snapper fishing or override federal regulations, saying seasons and catch limits are set by NOAA Fisheries and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, while Florida’s authority ends about three nautical miles offshore. Higgins noted a stock assessment showing the population at about 76% of its rebuilding goal, but said the rebuilding plan must continue because the target has not yet been reached. Another letter described World Cup support as reviving optimism through fans’ unity and spirit, contrasting it with frustrations associated with U.S. politics.