South Atlantic Fishing Seasonal Closures

NOAA Sustainable Fisheries Division South Atlantic Branch, together with the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, manages fisheries in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Federal waters begin where state waters end and extend 200 miles into the South Atlantic. 

This summary is intended to provide appropriate information to fishers about regulations and the sustainable use of marine fishery resources in the South Atlantic. This summary is for general information purposes. Fishery regulations are subject to changes. Please visit the South Atlantic Council site for regulations by species. For the most current federal regulations, please visit: Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 622 - Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and South Atlantic.

Fish Species Illustration	Species or Species Group	Commercial Seasonal Closure	Recreational Seasonal Closure
	Black Grouper	January 1 - April 30	January 1 - April 30
	Black Sea Bass Pots (a)	Seasonal Area Closures: November 1 - April 30 (a)	None
	Blueline Tilefish	None	January 1 - April 30 September 1 - December 31
	Gag	January 1 - April 30	January 1 - April 30
	Greater Amberjack  (b)	April 1 - April 30	None
	Hogfish (FLK-EFL)	None	January 1 - April 30 November 1 - December 31
	Red Grouper	Georgia & Florida: January 1 - April 30 North Carolina & South Carolina:  January 1 - May 31 (e)	Georgia & Florida: January 1 - April 30 North Carolina & South Carolina:  January 1 - May 31 (e)
	Red Porgy  (c)	See (c) Below	See (c) Below
	Red Snapper (d)	See (d) Below	See (d) Below
	Scamp	January 1 - April 30	January 1 - April 30
Red hind Rock hind Coney Graysby Yellowfin grouper Yellowmouth grouper	Shallow Water Grouper	January 1 - April 30	January 1 - April 30
	Snowy Grouper	None	January 1 - April 30 September 1 - December 31
	Wreckfish	January 15 - April 15	January 1 - June 30 September 1 - December 31

(a) During November 1 - April 30 of each year the use of black sea bass pots is prohibited in certain closed areas. Please see the regulations for more details, and maps of closed areas.

(b) During April of each year, harvest or possession of greater amberjack is limited to 1 per person per day or 1 per person per trip, whichever is more restrictive.  However, such greater amberjack are subject to the prohibition on sale or purchase harvested from the South Atlantic EEZ or, if harvested by a vessel for which a valid Federal commercial permit for South Atlantic snapper-grouper has been issued, harvested from the South Atlantic, i.e., in state or Federal waters. Please see the regulations for more details.

(c) Regulatory Amendment 27 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region removed the sale and purchase prohibition and the possession limit of red porgy of three fish per person per day or three fish per person per trip during January 1 through April 30 each year, established a commercial trip limit of 60 fish in Season 1, and retained the 120 fish commercial trip limit in Season 2. 

(d)  The 2022 fishing season for red snapper in the South Atlantic EEZ:

The recreational sector was open for harvest on the following days:

• July 8 and 9, 2022 (Friday and Saturday) – The recreational season opens at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 8, 2022, and closes at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 10, 2022.

The commercial sector opened for harvest:

• At 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 11, 2022, and will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on January 1, 2023, unless the commercial annual catch limit is met or projected to be met before this date.
• If the commercial sector needs to close before 12:01 a.m., local time, on January 1, 2023, NOAA Fisheries will announce it in the Federal Register and publish another Fishery Bulletin. UPDATE: The commercial sector closed at 12:01 a.m., local time, on August 31, 2022; See FB22-053.

Please see FB22-029 and FB22-053 for more information.  

For more information on past seasons, please visit our red snapper page. 

*Red snapper may only be harvested or possessed in or from the South Atlantic federal waters during the open commercial and recreational seasons. Any red snapper caught in South Atlantic federal waters during a time other than the open specified commercial or recreational seasons must be released immediately with a minimum of harm. In addition, for a person on board a vessel for which a valid Federal commercial or charter vessel/headboat permit for South Atlantic snapper-grouper has been issued, the prohibition on the harvest or possession of red snapper applies in the South Atlantic, regardless of where such fish are harvested or possessed, i.e., in state or Federal waters

(e) Regulatory Amendment 30 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region extended both the commercial and recreational red grouper spawning season closures (January through April) through the month of May, in federal waters off North Carolina and South Carolina. The final rule also established a commercial trip limit for red grouper harvested in the South Atlantic federal waters of 200 pounds gutted weight.

This page provides only a summary of the information regarding the existing regulations. Any discrepancies between this information and the regulations as published in the Federal Register will be resolved in favor of the Federal Register. 

Please Note: This summary is intended to provide appropriate information to fishers about regulations and the sustainable use of marine fishery resources in the South Atlantic. This summary is for general information purposes. Fishery Regulations are subject to changes. For more information on fishery regulations consult the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR 622 or the NOAA Fisheries Service Southeast Regional Office Fishery Regulation website.