Texas recreational offshore anglers know they're in for a trick at midnight on Halloween.

When the clock hits 12 tonight, red snapper become off-limits for recreational anglers fishing in water under federal jurisdiction.

As has been the case for four years, the recreational red snapper closure will run for almost six months. Red snapper, the most popular target fish for Texas offshore anglers, won't again become legal to retain until 12:01 a.m., April 21, 2004.

The April 21-Oct. 31 recreational snapper season has been in effect in federal waters (9 nautical miles off the Texas coast) since 2000, when federal fisheries officials agreed to a plan to stabilize red snapper rules for five years.

Red snapper, as popular with commercial anglers as with recreationals, were severely overfished through the 1980s. Data indicated the snapper population was in such severe decline that conservative fishing regulations were required. Those new rules, aimed at allowing red snapper populations to rebuild, began taking effect in the mid-1980s.

First-time bag limits and minimum length requirements were imposed, then annual landing quotas for recreational and commercial anglers. Fishing was closed when landing data showed the annual quotas -- recreational or commercial -- had been reached.

The unpredictability of the timing of the recreational closure, and questions about the science used to project effects of the regulations and recovery of the snapper stocks, led to the stabilization of the recreational and commercial snapper season and annual landing quotas.

Since 1996, the annual red snapper landing quota for the Gulf of Mexico has been 9.12 million pounds, with commercial snapper fishers getting an allocation of 4.65 million pounds and recreational anglers allocated 4.47 million pounds.

Based on landings data from previous years, federal fisheries managers with the National Marine Fisheries Service figured it would take about 180 days of fishing for recreational anglers to land their annual allocation.

The April 21 opening was set to have snapper season open during the portion of the year with the highest fishing pressure -- late spring through early autumn.

Fisheries managers set the standardized commercial and recreational regulations to remain in effect for five years, then reassessed.

NMFS plans to conduct a new red snapper stock assessment next year, and findings of that study will be used to guide any changes in red snapper management.

The earliest non-emergency changes in the recreational red snapper fishing allocation, 16-inch minimum length requirement or four-fish daily bag would come for the 2005 fishing year.

Changes in the way the commercial red snapper fishery operates could come that year.

Earlier this week, the National Marine Fisheries Service published in the Federal Register a proposal to poll holders of commercial red snapper permits about establishing individual annual fishing quotas for permit holders.

Under a red snapper Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) program, a holder of a commercial red snapper permit would be allocated an annual quota of red snapper. The amount of the allocation would be based on the permit holder's red snapper landings from previous years.

With the IFQ, the commercial fisherman could take his annual allocation at any time of the year.

Under the current commercial snapper fishing program, holders of red snapper permits are allowed to take snapper during certain months and on certain days. Currently, the commercial red snapper fishing season is divided into spring and summer seasons.

The spring season, with an allocation of 3.12 million pounds, opens Feb. 1 with fishing allowed only during the first 10 days of that and following months until the spring allocation is landed.

The autumn commercial season opens Oct. 1 and fishing is allowed until the remainder of the annual commercial quota of 4.65 million pounds is landed.

The current system creates a "derby" style commercial fishery, with commercial fishermen racing to catch and sell as many snapper as possible as quickly as possible. Otherwise, they risk other commercials catching the quota and seeing the season closed.

But the derby-style commercial fishery can result in markets flooded with red snapper, and the resulting low prices for commercial fishermen, during part of the year, and a closed season, low availability of red snapper and high prices at other times.

With the IFQs, holders of snapper permits would know how many pounds of snapper they were allowed to catch and sell each year, and could decide on their own when to fish for them.

NMFS is sending ballots on the IFQ proposal to current holders of commercial red snapper fishing permits, and will report those results to the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council at the group's Jan. 13-16 meeting in Austin.

If permit holders support the IFQ proposal, the Gulf Council is authorized to develop a plan and regulations to implement the program.

If permit holders approve, through a referendum, that Gulf Council plan, the IFQ proposal will go to NMFS and the secretary of commerce for a final decision. If approved, the IFQ program could take effect as early as the 2005 fishing year.