A fishing boat heads out to sea as the sun breaks through the clouds in Surfside. | Wilfredo Lee, AP
Published on May 22, 2026 at 12:32 pm
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Florida wildlife officials modified recreational red snapper fishing rules set to begin Friday after a federal court issued an order halting such fishing in the South Atlantic.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission posted online that while it opposes “this delay tactic,” it has also rescinded an executive order expanding red snapper fishing in state waters.
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“Doing so will allow for the public to carry on with their plans on the water, including the ability to catch red snapper in state waters,” the FWC stated in its release. “As authorized by Florida Administrative Code, the recreational bag limit will default to 2 red snapper per person with a 20-inch size limit and remain in effect until further notice.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis called the order from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia a “bad decision” that will be appealed, and “disrespectful” to people who made fishing plans for the Memorial Day holiday.
“This is what people hate about bureaucracies, and what people hate, honestly, about some of these judges. What they do to just try to always throw sand in the gears, even when we already have had a delegation of authority under the law,” DeSantis said during a bill signing event at Jean Ribault High School in Jacksonville on Friday.
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DeSantis has long pushed for the federal government to allow longer red snapper seasons in the Atlantic to match the expanded season on Florida’s west coast, where the state manages the red snapper population.
DeSantis added that the red snapper population is “underestimated.”
“There’s a lot of people that that may have been the determining factor in them doing Memorial Day weekend on the East Coast of Florida, and maybe they would have gone somewhere else,” DeSantis said.
On May 11, DeSantis announced a 39-day red snapper fishing season off the Atlantic coast this year, expanding from the two days allowed last year.
Amid concerns about overfishing, commercial fishing groups led by the Southeastern Fisheries Association filed suit May 5 challenging the exempted fishing allowing a 39-day recreational red snapper season starting Friday.
Ocean Conservancy, in filing a brief supporting the association, argued the exempted fishing permits undermine U.S. fisheries law and impose “grave harm not just to the South Atlantic red snapper population and those who depend on it, but to the rational, lawful operations of federal fisheries management itself.”
A release from Earthjustice, representing Ocean Conservancy, stated the annual catch limit for the recreational sector is 22,797 fish. Meanwhile, a recent two-day red snapper fishing season in Florida resulted in 24,885 landed fish.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration quickly announced that the court action Thursday means the exempted fishing permits 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.
“All recreational fishing under these South Atlantic EFPs is not authorized, including tomorrow’s start date of May 22, 2026, for Florida’s recreational red snapper season,” NOAA stated online.
“The ruling does not affect the South Atlantic red snapper commercial season that NOAA Fisheries will announce at a later date,” the NOAA statement continued. “NOAA Fisheries will announce if there will be a 2026 federal recreational season for red snapper in the South Atlantic.”
The FWC stated that once the exempted fishing permits are “unfrozen,” the state will issue an updated executive order reestablishing the extended red snapper season.
“Moreover, FWC officers have been notified of the unpredictable nature of the situation and will ensure boaters are provided education within our jurisdictional waters,” the FWC stated.
