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ISSUE DATE: May 21, 2026
FB26-025
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NOAA Fisheries Update: Effective Immediately, No Recreational Red Snapper Fishing is Authorized Under the South Atlantic Exempted Fishing Permits - South Atlantic Red Snapper Fishing in Federal Waters Remains Closed
Preliminary decision on the South Atlantic red snapper exempted fishing permits lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
On May 21, 2026, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia issued an order granting the plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction, halting activities under the exempted fishing permits (EFPs) that authorized the 2026 state recreational red snapper seasons in the South Atlantic. The South Atlantic EFPs for Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina are no longer in effect until further order from the Court, and the recreational harvest of red snapper in the South Atlantic remains closed.
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. Contact your state agency for further details.
The ruling does not affect the South Atlantic red snapper commercial season that NOAA Fisheries will announce at a later date. NOAA Fisheries will announce if there will be a 2026 federal recreational season for red snapper in the South Atlantic.
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Sign Up for Text Message Alerts
Our Text Message Alert Program allows you to receive important fishery related alerts via text message (SMS). Standard message and data rates may apply. You may opt-out at any time. Text alerts you may receive include immediate fishery openings and closures and any significant changes to fishing regulations that happen quickly.
Sign up for one or more of the fisheries-related alerts below by texting the following to 888777:
- Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico) Recreational: Text GULFRECFISH
- Gulf of America Commercial: Text GULFCOMMFISH
- South Atlantic Recreational: Text SATLRECFISH
- South Atlantic Commercial: Text SATLCOMMFISH
- Caribbean: Text CARIBFISH
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