Florida, Georgia and South Carolina have filed revised Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs) that would allow recreational harvest of red snapper in state and federal waters during a 31-day October season. The new permits were filed after environmental groups and commercial fishermen filed a lawsuit to prevent state EFPs from managing a summer red snapper season. Hours before Florida’s summer season was set to begin, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction that prevented the EFPs from going into effect, causing widespread confusion and anger among anglers in the region.
Recreational anglers have been sidelined by federal management systems that rely on flawed data estimates—resulting in brief, unpredictable red snapper seasons for almost two decades. The EFPs are part of an effort to allow the states to test improved data collection programs that are far more robust than the federal data collection system to determine harvest and bycatch rates more accurately and potentially enhance access to this public resource.
Recreational anglers and fisheries managers have worked for years to rebuild this fishery, and those efforts have been wildly successful. South Atlantic red snapper are historically abundant, no longer overfished, and overfishing has ended. The EFPs requested by South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida would provide a much-needed opportunity to improve Atlantic red snapper science and management of the recreational fishery going forward.
Make your voice heard — Tell NOAA to approve the new EFPs and support state-led fisheries data collection and angler access:
How You Can Take Action in 3 Minutes:
1. Go to the Federal Portal:
Visit Regulations.gov Docket NOAA-NMFS-2026-2245.
2. Click “Comment”:
Express your support for your state’s Exempted Fishing Permit application.
3. Submit Your Message.
Key Points
– Support State Management over Federal One-Size-Fits-All:
State agencies are closest to the fishery and best equipped to manage recreational effort responsibly. The state agencies have developed the tools and resources – including red snapper harvest permits, mandatory electronic data reporting and enhanced surveys – to do the job better than the federal government.
– Better Data Means Better Conservation:
The EFPs expand access with mandatory electronic catch reporting, enhanced surveys, biological monitoring and identification of licensed saltwater anglers who fish for red snapper in the South Atlantic. The state system would replace questionable statistical estimates with near real-time reporting for the recreational fishery to give a more accurate picture of the fishery.
– Economic Impact:
Sustainable recreational Red Snapper access supports thousands of jobs in the South Atlantic states, from boat dealers and tackle shops to charter captains and coastal hospitality.
– Proactive Stewardship:
South Atlantic anglers are committed to sustainable fishing, using mandatory descending devices to reduce discard mortality, and participating directly in harvest tracking. The states’ reporting programs will focus on quantifying red snapper catches and producing a more reliable estimate of dead discards, with the ultimate goal of enhancing recreational opportunity while still maintaining a sustainable fishery.
This is an opportunity to test a modernized data system that is better suited to the needs of the recreational angling sector to properly manage this public resource going forward. Coastal Conservation Association is urging NOAA Fisheries to approve the new Exempted Fishing Permits and support state-led fisheries data collection.
