Florida Makes Move Toward State Management of Snapper

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis hosted a press conference in Fernandina Beach, FL, to announce Florida‘s plan to take over management of red snapper off the state’s Atlantic Coast. The Governor, alongside Roger Young, the Executive Director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), sent a request to the Secretary of Commerce to implement an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP).

The EFP calls for a 39-day recreational fishing season for red snapper in the South Atlantic for Florida anglers. The season will be divided into two segments – the first to run from Memorial Day weekend (May 22) through June 20, and the second over the course of multiple three-day weekends in October (Oct. 2–4, 9–11, and 16–18).

“The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) applauds the Governor and FWC for taking this momentous step toward providing reasonable access to South Atlantic red snapper while promoting conservation and supporting our state’s $11.1 billion recreational fishing industry,” said Martha Guyas, Southeast Fisheries Policy Director for ASA. “We’ve witnessed the benefits of state management in the Gulf for years and we’re hopeful anglers and the industry will now experience these same benefits in the Atlantic for 2026 and beyond.”

The proposed 39-day season matches the initial season in the Gulf when Florida took over management in 2018. In 2025, the Gulf recreational red snapper season is open 126 days, a testament to the state’s ability to manage access and conservation goals in tandem.

There are more red snapper in the South Atlantic now than any time in recent history, a fact agreed on by anglers, the industry and fisheries managers. Unfortunately, the sacrifices made by the recreational fishing community to rebuild the stock to this point have not been met with reciprocal access to the fishery. In 2025, NOAA allowed a meager 2-day recreational red snapper season, and only a single day in 2024.

The limited season is largely due to flawed estimates of recreational discards from the Marine Recreational Information Program, the tool NOAA uses to conduct stock assessments, which even the agency acknowledges overestimates fishing effort by 30-40%. To address this issue, the EFP will provide important data concerning the red snapper stock that can be used to inform future recreational fishing seasons.

ASA is optimistic this proposal will be met warmly by the Trump administration and the Secretary of Commerce, who oversees NOAA, and that it will be implemented in short order. The other South Atlantic states are submitting similar requests.

“We are grateful for Governor DeSantis’s leadership on this issue and to the Florida Congressional delegation, particularly Representatives Rutherford and Soto, as well as Senator Scott, for their unwavering support in Washington, D.C.,” added Guyas.
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