After a year-long, intensive information gathering process, the directors of the state marine fisheries agencies…
After a year-long, intensive information gathering process, the directors of the state marine fisheries agencies from Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina have released the outline of a plan for state-based recreational data gathering and management of South Atlantic red snapper.
In a joint letter and Action Plan signed by all four state agency representatives to the House South Atlantic Red Snapper Task Force, the states acknowledge that inadequate data combined with a “one-sized fits all management approach” hinders access to the resource for many anglers under the current federal management regime. In response, the states propose standing up state data collection programs and improving management of the recreational red snapper fishery to provide greater responsiveness, flexibility, and access.
The announcement of this coordinated effort was greeted with strong enthusiasm from the recreational fishing and boating community, which has long called for greater state control of South Atlantic red snapper similar to state programs that have been in place since the first Trump Administration in the Gulf which have transformed the recreational fishery there.
“State management of South Atlantic red snapper is the right idea at the right time,” said Jeff Angers, president of the Center for Sportfishing Policy. “We’ve seen in the Gulf of America that when states lead with sound science and local common sense, everyone wins–anglers get more days on the water, conservation outcomes improve, and coastal economies thrive. The leadership shown by Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina offers real hope that the broken federal system will finally give way to a management model that reflects the reality on the water.”
South Atlantic red snapper is presently managed by NOAA Fisheries through the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. The fishery has come under intense scrutiny in recent years as recreational fishing seasons have been limited to one or two days–and often closed entirely–despite the population being larger than any time in recorded history. Draconian federal restrictions arise from high levels of uncertainty in recreational catch data collected by the federal government.
In just the last few months, the governors of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina voiced their support for a shift to state-led management of red snapper in the South Atlantic in a joint letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick. That was quickly followed by formal letters from congressional delegations from each of the three states reinforcing the call for reform.
Most recently, U.S. Reps. John Rutherford (Fla.), Buddy Carter (Ga.), Russell Fry (S.C.) and David Rouzer (N.C.) launched the House South Atlantic Red Snapper Task Force—a bipartisan effort to improve data collection, expand state authority and secure longer, more predictable seasons.
The process in the South Atlantic is expected to follow roughly the same path as state management in the Gulf with each state implementing and testing data collection programs through Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs). While the EFPs are underway, the South Atlantic Council will begin an amendment to formalize state management of Atlantic red snapper through the Council process.
“Since going from red snapper seasons measured in days to seasons measured in months in the Gulf, we have been hopeful that the South Atlantic states would embrace a similar path and develop their own, more reliable recreational data collection programs,” said Chris Horton, senior director of fisheries policy for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. “We are very thankful to see that the South Atlantic states are taking the reins on behalf of both their anglers and better science, which will ensure future fisheries sustainability while providing appropriate access for the recreational community.”
