A federal court has thrown the 2026 red snapper season for four southeastern states into doubt, halting a set of permits that would have opened federal waters off Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina to recreational anglers this summer.
A judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted an injunction blocking the Exempted Fishing Permits, or EFPs, while a legal challenge plays out. The suit was brought by the Southeastern Fisheries Association and backed by the Environmental Defense Fund and Ocean Conservancy. For Georgia, the ruling scuttles a planned 62-day season that was due to begin July 1. The state's Department of Natural Resources, which had spearheaded the permit, has since withdrawn its request and says it will resubmit.
"While this outcome is certainly disappointing, we remain committed to expanding access to red snapper fishing opportunities for Georgia anglers," said Walter Rabon, commissioner of the Georgia DNR. "We believe state-led management and improved data collection can provide a better path forward, and we will continue working with our partners to pursue that goal."
The decision is the latest turn in a fight that began in the spring. On May 1, President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that all state permits for the 2026 recreational red snapper season had been approved, calling it a "huge win" for fishermen. "For years, our Great Fishermen have been punished with VERY short Federal fishing seasons despite RECORD HIGH fish populations and the States begging to oversee these permits," he wrote.
The drive to hand states more control has been loudest in Florida. Governor Ron DeSantis has cast the issue as a matter of returning authority to where it belongs. "I was proud to announce that Florida anglers will soon be able to enjoy more Atlantic Red Snapper fishing as well," he said in an earlier release. "The Trump Administration has taken action to rein in the bureaucracy and return this power to the states, where it belongs."
Weeks later, a judge blocked Florida's Atlantic red snapper season just hours before it was due to open over Memorial Day weekend, a decision DeSantis branded "disrespectful" and "a bad decision." The June injunction widened that block to the multi-state permits.
Conservation groups argue the rush to longer seasons ignores hard history. The red snapper spawning stock collapsed to about 11 percent of its historic level in the late 1990s and early 2000s, triggering a rebuilding plan that runs through 2044. South Atlantic anglers are typically held to a single fish per day.
"These exempted fishing permits are an end run around sustainable management," said Meredith Moore of Ocean Conservancy. "Just last year, NOAA's own analysis showed a two-day season was needed to prevent overfishing. There is no doubt that allowing months-long seasons will lead to overfishing, while unproven data collection means we may not realise the damage until it is done."
JP Brooker, the group's Florida conservation director, put it more bluntly. "Overfishing means sacrificing the chance to teach the next generation to fish in order to fill coolers this season," he said.
For now the four states are back at the drawing board. The U.S. Department of Commerce has said it will review any new application quickly, and Georgia hopes to submit a revised permit within weeks, aiming for a season later this fall.
"The Department recognizes the importance of red snapper fishing to Georgia anglers, charter operators, coastal businesses and communities," Rabon said. "We will continue working toward a solution that balances the biological needs of the fishery with the social and economic importance of recreational fishing."