FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. – After years of one- and two-day fishing windows, Florida’s Atlantic red snapper season is getting a major upgrade — 39 days on the water, according to WKMG news partner WJXT.
Gov. Ron DeSantis made the announcement Monday in Fernandina Beach.
Atlantic red snapper fishing in federal Atlantic waters was largely shut down in 2010 due to overfishing concerns.
According to DeSantis, NOAA approved Florida’s request earlier this month through an exempted fishing permit pilot program, giving the state more authority over Atlantic recreational red snapper management.
“The bureaucrats would say, ‘Oh, you are going to take all of the fish,’” DeSantis said. “We challenged the data, and we said we know there is more fish; we know the supply is healthy, and we want to be able to give, particularly our recreational anglers, an opportunity to go out and enjoy.”
The season begins Memorial Day weekend and runs through June before reopening during three October weekends:
- May 22 – June 20
- Oct. 2-4, Oct. 9-11, Oct. 16-18
The recreational bag limit is one red snapper per angler per day. The captain and crew bag limit is zero.
Anglers will also be required to declare fishing trips before leaving the dock through a new FWC web-based application coming soon.