NOAA Fisheries Announces 2026 Federal Recreational Red Snapper Season and Issuance of Exempted Fishing Permits for Recreational Red Snapper Harvest in the South Atlantic

Key Messages:

2026 Federal recreational red snapper season

• The 2026 federal recreational red snapper fishing season in the South Atlantic will open for harvest for three days at 12:01 a.m., local time, on October 9, through 12:01 a.m., local time, on October 12. This is one day longer than the 2025 two-day recreational season.
  • The bag limit is 1 fish per person per day
  • There is no minimum size limit

Exempted Fishing Permits for Florida, Georgia and South Carolina

• Additionally, NOAA Fisheries has issued exempted fishing permits (EFP) to Florida, Georgia and South Carolina authorizing extended recreational red snapper fishing seasons for eligible participants from October 9 through October 22, 2026. EFP project participants are limited to landing or possessing recreationally harvested red snapper only under their respective EFPs, and not in addition to the federal recreational season.
• The EFPs allow those states to pilot test state data collection and management strategies for the recreational harvest of red snapper in state and federal waters in 2026.
• The EFPs authorize 2026 harvest limits of:
  • 83,720 fish for Florida
  • 4,859 fish for Georgia and
  • 8,695 fish for South Carolina.
• NOAA Fisheries projects these fish will be harvested within a 14-day period under the EFPs.
• After reviewing data on the October season and other information, NOAA Fisheries and the states will jointly determine if a second season may take place in December 2026.
• NOAA Fisheries' goal is to work collaboratively with the states to improve recreational data collection and evaluate the potential benefits of state-specific management strategies while maintaining catches and discards within sustainable levels.

Background:

• NOAA Fisheries is working with the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and states to rebuild the red snapper stock and investigate ways to reduce recreational discards.

• This is the second round of EFP applications submitted by South Atlantic States. In early

  May 2026, four EFPs had been previously awarded to Florida, Georgia, South Carolina

  and North Carolina. Those EFPs were later rescinded after the U.S. District Court for the

  District of Columbia issued a preliminary injunction halting all activities authorized

  under the EFPs.

• The three new EFPs have been modified to address the Court decision.

  Frequently Asked Questions:

How the length of the EFP seasons are determined for Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina:

Who is eligible to harvest red snapper under these EFPs?

• Participating private anglers and for-hire operators who have the necessary state license(s) and federal permit(s) where fishing will occur and where they will land red snapper.
• Each fishing trip must begin and end at a landing location in the respective state in which participants are registered.

How do I find out more information on the EFPs:

More information on the EFP applications, and the analysis supporting the three EFPs, can be found at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/recreational-fishing-data/south-atlantic-red-snapper-state-data-collection-and-management .

State Contact Information:

Sign Up for Text Message Alerts - Find Out About Immediate Openings and Closures

NOAA's Text Message Alert Program allows you to receive important fishery-related alerts via text message (SMS). Standard message & data rates may apply. You may opt-out at any time. Comments sent by any other method (such as postal mail), to any other address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, may not be considered.

Text alerts you may receive include:

• Immediate fishery openings and closures
• Any significant changes to fishing regulations that happen quickly

Sign up for one or more of the following groups:

• Gulf Recreational Fisheries Related Alerts
  • Text GULFRECFISH to 888777
• Gulf Commercial Fisheries Related Alerts
  • Text GULFCOMMFISH to 888777
• South Atlantic Recreational Fisheries Related Alerts
  • Text SATLRECFISH to 888777
• South Atlantic Commercial Fisheries Related Alerts
  • Text SATLCOMMFISH to 888777
• Caribbean Fisheries Related Alerts

Permits Mailbox: The Permits Office in St. Petersburg, Florida, now has a Permits mailbox in the front lobby (263 13th Ave. South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701). You can now drop off original permits for permit transfers. Envelopes with information labels will be provided so that your documents can be attached to the correct application. The mailbox will be checked daily. For more information, contact the Permits Office at 877-376-4877.

Contacts:

Quick Glance Contact List for the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office