By Staff Report
Florida wildlife officials modified recreational red snapper fishing rules set to begin Friday after a federal court halted expanded fishing in the South Atlantic.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced online that, while it opposes what it described as a “delay tactic,” it has rescinded an executive order that would have expanded red snapper fishing in state waters.
“Doing so will allow for the public to carry on with their plans on the water, including the ability to catch red snapper in state waters,” the FWC stated. “As authorized by Florida Administrative Code, the recreational bag limit will default to 2 red snapper per person with a 20-inch size limit and remain in effect until further notice.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized the ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, calling it a “bad decision” that will be appealed and saying it disrupted Memorial Day weekend plans for anglers.
“This is what people hate about bureaucracies, and what people hate, honestly, about some of these judges,” DeSantis said Friday during a bill signing event at Jean Ribault High School in Jacksonville. “What they do to just try to always throw sand in the gears, even when we already have had a delegation of authority under the law.”
DeSantis has long pushed for the federal government to allow longer Atlantic red snapper seasons similar to those on Florida’s Gulf Coast, where the state manages the fish population.
He also argued the red snapper population is being underestimated.
“There’s a lot of people that that may have been the determining factor in them doing Memorial Day weekend on the East Coast of Florida, and maybe they would have gone somewhere else,” DeSantis said.
On May 11, DeSantis announced a 39-day Atlantic red snapper season, a significant increase from the two-day season allowed last year.
Commercial fishing groups led by the Southeastern Fisheries Association filed a lawsuit May 5 challenging the extended recreational season, citing concerns about overfishing.
Ocean Conservancy, which supported the lawsuit through a filing by Earthjustice, argued the permits allowing the expanded season undermined federal fisheries law and threatened the long-term management of red snapper populations.
According to Earthjustice, the recreational annual catch limit for South Atlantic red snapper is 22,797 fish. A recent two-day Florida season resulted in anglers landing 24,885 fish.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday that the court ruling invalidated exempted fishing permits issued for Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina until further notice, leaving recreational red snapper harvest closed in the South Atlantic.
“All recreational fishing under these South Atlantic EFPs is not authorized, including tomorrow’s start date of May 22, 2026, for Florida’s recreational red snapper season,” NOAA stated online.
The ruling does not affect future commercial fishing seasons, NOAA said.
The FWC stated it plans to reissue an updated executive order restoring the expanded season if the court order is lifted.
“Moreover, FWC officers have been notified of the unpredictable nature of the situation and will ensure boaters are provided education within our jurisdictional waters,” the agency stated.
Ali Moreland