South Atlantic Red Snapper Exempted Fishing Permits - 2025-2026
The National Marine Fisheries Service has received 3 applications for an EFP from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The EFPs would authorize limited recreational harvest of red snapper outside of the Federal recreational season in South Atlantic Federal waters and exempt that harvest from reporting requirements, recreational bag and possession limits, recreational annual catch limits, and accountability measures. The projects will test management strategies that could reduce discards of red snapper and other managed snapper grouper species, create additional opportunities to participate in sustainable recreational harvest, and improve angler satisfaction. The results of the studies could be used by fishery managers and scientists to reduce recreational dead discards and increase fishing opportunities in the South Atlantic snapper-grouper fishery.
EFP Applications and Notices
Application 1: Testing management strategies through a FWC Red Snapper Full-Retention Study Fleet off NE Florida to reduce red snapper/other snapper grouper discards and improve angler satisfaction.
Application 2: Testing innovative management strategies through a FWC Experimental Hot Spot Fleet off NE Florida to reduce red snapper/snapper grouper discards and improve angler satisfaction.
Application 3: Testing innovative management strategies through a FWC Southeast Florida Snapper Grouper Fleet to reduce red snapper/other snapper grouper discards and improve angler satisfaction.
Federal Register Notice (90 FR 29849) - Open for comment through July 22, 2025
Federal Register Notice (90 FR 29847) - Open for comment through July 22, 2025
Fishery Bulletin (FB25-022)
More Information
- For more information on the projects, visit the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Atlantic red snapper EFP project webpage.
- Return to the South Atlantic Branch Homepage
Return to all recent and current South Atlantic Exempted Fishing Permits