Amendment 59 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region

NMFS is implementing changes to the management of red snapper in the South Atlantic through a final rule for Amendment 59 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region. Amendment 59 was developed by NMFS on the Secretary’s behalf under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and is based on the latest stock assessment for South Atlantic red snapper which determined the population is undergoing overfishing, not overfished, but not yet rebuilt. Amendment 59 and the final rule modify management of South Atlantic red snapper by revising the overfishing limit, acceptable biological catch, annual catch limits, and the proxy for determining red snapper overfishing. Amendment 59 specifies an overfishing limit of 551,000 fish, an acceptable biological catch of 509,000 fish, and a total annual catch limit equal to 509,000 fish; all of which include both landings and discards. The landed catch limits specified by this final rule include a commercial annual catch limit of 102,951 pounds whole weight, and a recreational annual catch limit of 22,797 fish (equivalent to 263,815 pounds whole weight). Amendment 59 revises the proxy used to determine if red snapper is undergoing overfishing from a fixed value to a more flexible definition that reflects the best scientific information available at the time an overfishing determination is made.

The final rule for Amendment 59 also announces the 2025 red snapper fishing seasons. The commercial sector will open for harvest at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 14, 2025, and will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on January 1, 2026, unless the commercial catch limit is met or projected to be met before this date. The recreational sector will open for harvest for two days – at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 11, 2025, through 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 13, 2025. The commercial and recreational season lengths for the 2025 fishing year are determined using the revised sector ACLs in this final rule.