Gov. Ron DeSantis is touting what he calls a major victory for Florida anglers, announcing Friday that Atlantic recreational red snapper will move to a longer, state-managed season beginning May 22. He is pitching the shift as a boost for local fishing businesses and for-hire operators and as a long-sought break from the short, derby-style federal openings that have had charter captains and weekend anglers scrambling to squeeze trips into a day or two.
From northeast Florida docks up the South Atlantic coast, anglers are already gaming out what a proposed 39-day season, if it ultimately takes effect, could mean for bookings, bait orders and whether there will be enough boats and crew to go around.
DeSantis celebrated the development on X, writing that “Atlantic Red Snapper has been approved for state management and an expanded season effective on May 22,” according to News4JAX. That outlet also reports that former President Donald Trump called the move “a huge win for anglers” and that DeSantis rolled out the news at a Fernandina Beach press conference. The governor has been publicly backing the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s push for a 39-day Atlantic season starting in 2026.
Federal Review And EFPs
At the federal level, the ball is still in NOAA’s court. NOAA Fisheries lists Exempted Fishing Permit applications from Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina and has opened a public comment period while it reviews those requests, according to the agency’s EFP page. If NOAA signs off, an EFP can temporarily exempt a state and participating anglers from certain federal-season rules so the state can test different data collection and management strategies.
NOAA describes these pilot projects as a way to generate faster, higher-quality recreational data that could let managers tweak seasons in real time, instead of locking everyone into a single, frantic weekend. The hope from supporters is fewer derby-style crushes on the water and more flexibility if catch rates spike or if bad weather wipes out planned trips.
What Florida’s Plan Would Look Like
Florida’s proposal lays out a two-phase, 39-day red snapper season. It would open the Friday before Memorial Day, May 22, and run through the end of June, then reopen in October for three-day weekends, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The application describes testing the State Reef Fish Survey along with a smartphone reporting app, with participating captains required to log catch and discard data so state managers can estimate landings in something close to real time.
Why It Is Coming To A Head Now
Pressure for a new approach has been building. Federal managers have kept a tight lid on South Atlantic red snapper, and NOAA Fisheries implemented a temporary rule in 2024 that limited the recreational season to a single day. It later set a two-day opening for 2025, moves that helped spur state efforts to try different tools, according to NOAA Fisheries. Those narrow windows have been blasted by many anglers and captains as unsafe and unworkable, compressing effort into short “derby” spikes that pack docks and ramps and leave little room to maneuver around bad weather.
Conservation groups are far less enthusiastic about relaxing federal controls. The Ocean Conservancy warned in February that the proposed EFPs could undermine ongoing recovery if they are not paired with independent monitoring and strict reporting, labeling the exemptions “controversial” in a public statement. The group and its allies argue that without solid, independent discard estimates and robust enforcement, states could blow past recreational quotas while no one is watching closely enough.
How An EFP Actually Works
Exempted Fishing Permits are discretionary tools NOAA Fisheries can use to let participants temporarily operate outside certain federal rules. The Federal Register notice seeking public comment spells out the proposed project conditions, reporting requirements and enforcement roles for the South Atlantic snapper-grouper fishery.
Before anything about the season is legally locked in, NOAA would have to formally issue the permit and publish its terms in writing. That document would specify who is eligible to fish in federal waters under the EFP, what data they must report and how federal and state officers are supposed to police the experiment.
On the docks, the policy details translate directly into business decisions. Charter captains and bait shops say even talk of a longer, staggered season can reshape plans. Industry sources told trade outlets that more spread-out dates could smooth out demand and income, and reduce the dangerous all-at-once rush of ultra-short openings. Others warn that extra days could mean more fishing pressure on the stock and more complicated schedules for captains and crews trying to juggle bookings, weather and compliance.
For now, the governor’s office is telling anglers to circle May 22 for an expanded season while the federal process plays out. Before heading offshore, though, anglers will need to check the final permit language and any qualifying rules that come with it. For state-level details, see the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and monitor NOAA Fisheries for the federal permit notice that will spell out the terms that are enforceable on the water.
