Recreational anglers across the Southeast will not be chasing red snapper in federal waters this summer after all. A court order has frozen the special permits behind the planned 2026 seasons in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina, leaving a high-profile push for state-run fishing in limbo.
The injunction came from a judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, who paused the Exempted Fishing Permits while a lawsuit from the Southeastern Fisheries Association — supported by the Environmental Defense Fund and Ocean Conservancy — works through the courts. Georgia had lined up a 62-day season starting July 1. With no time to resolve the case first, the state's Department of Natural Resources pulled its permit and pledged to file a new one.
"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 season was supposed to be the payoff from a political win earlier in the year. President Donald Trump used Truth Social on May 1 to announce that every state permit had been approved, hailing it as a "huge win." "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.
No state has leaned into the shift harder than Florida. Governor Ron DeSantis framed it as power being handed back to the states. "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." When a judge blocked Florida's Atlantic season hours before Memorial Day, DeSantis called the ruling "disrespectful" and "a bad decision."
Conservationists see the long seasons very differently. They point out that the red snapper spawning stock once fell to roughly 11 percent of its historic level around the turn of the century, prompting a rebuilding plan that still runs through 2044, with South Atlantic anglers generally limited to one fish a 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, framed the stakes in generational terms. "Overfishing means sacrificing the chance to teach the next generation to fish in order to fill coolers this season," he said.
The states now have to start over. The U.S. Department of Commerce says it will move quickly on any revised application, and Georgia is hoping to lodge new paperwork within weeks in pursuit of a fall season.
"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."