JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — On Thursday, just one day before Florida’s Atlantic Red Snapper season was set to start, a federal court paused the recreational fishing period in the South Atlantic, effective immediately.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted a preliminary injunction that halted the season, granting the plaintiff’s motion in a lawsuit originally filed with the court May 5.
The lawsuit was filed by commercial fishing groups led by the Southeastern Fisheries Association.
In a release from NOAA Fisheries, it was announced the exempted fishing permits (EFPs) for “Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina are no longer in effect until further order from the Court, and the recreational harvest of red snapper in the South Atlantic remains closed.”
The season was scheduled to begin May 22 and continue through June 20 before reopening during three October weekends.
At the beginning of May, Governor DeSantis announced that the 39-day recreational season had been approved by President Trump to allow for increased state management.
NOAA Fisheries said that the ruling does not affect the South Atlantic Red Snapper commercial season that is still to be announced. Additionally, NOAA Fisheries will later announce if there will be a federal recreational season for 2026 in the South Atlantic.
NOAA Fisheries says to “contact your state agency for further details.”
Action News Jax has reached out to the Florida Wildlife Commission (FWC) for comment.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.