Brevard charter captains and offshore anglers will feel impacts heading into Memorial Day weekend
A federal judge’s decision to halt Florida’s expanded Atlantic red snapper season is expected to have an immediate impact on Brevard County’s recreational fishing and charter boat industries heading into the busy Memorial Day weekend.
FWC UPDATE: To ensure our anglers can get out on the water as planned beginning this weekend, FWC has modified its plans that will ensure access to fishing in our state waters. Effective May 21, FWC will rescind EO 26-11. Doing so will allow the public to continue with their plans on the water, including catching red snapper in state waters. As authorized by the Florida Administrative Code, the recreational bag limit will default to 2 red snapper per person, with a 20-inch size limit, and will remain in effect until further notice.
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – A federal judge’s decision to halt Florida’s expanded Atlantic red snapper season is expected to have an immediate impact on Brevard County’s recreational fishing and charter boat industries heading into the busy Memorial Day weekend.
The ruling, issued Thursday by the United States District Court in Washington, D.C., temporarily blocks the exempted fishing permits that would have allowed anglers to harvest Atlantic red snapper outside the normal federal recreational season beginning May 22.
The permits were part of a new state-led management program created by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and approved earlier this month by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The decision is particularly significant for Brevard County, where offshore fishing is a major economic driver for communities including Port Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, and Sebastian.
Charter captains, bait and tackle shops, marinas, and waterfront restaurants had anticipated increased business from anglers planning trips for the opening weekend of the expanded season.
Many Space Coast offshore charters target reef species in Atlantic waters east of Brevard County, where red snapper populations have become increasingly common on deep-water reefs and wrecks.
Charter operators had hoped the longer season would attract more bookings during the late spring and summer months.
The expanded season would have opened additional fishing days for recreational anglers along Florida’s Atlantic coast, including offshore waters frequented by Brevard County fishermen.
Under the program, anglers would have been allowed to keep one Atlantic red snapper per person during a 39-day season stretching from May into October.
Florida officials said the plan was designed to gather better catch data while giving fishermen more access to a species many believe has significantly rebounded in recent years.
Instead, NOAA announced Thursday that all recreational fishing under the South Atlantic exempted fishing permits is immediately prohibited while the lawsuit proceeds.
“All recreational fishing under these South Atlantic EFPs is not authorized,” NOAA said in its advisory.
Florida officials have argued that federal red snapper regulations in the South Atlantic are overly restrictive and do not accurately reflect the size of the current fish population.
State leaders pointed to Florida’s Gulf red snapper management system as a model for expanding fishing opportunities while still maintaining conservation protections.
Despite the federal court ruling, Florida’s fish and wildlife agency announced it is modifying regulations to continue allowing anglers to harvest red snapper in state waters while the case moves through court.
According to FWC, anglers fishing in Florida state waters can still harvest red snapper under existing state rules, including a two-fish bag limit and 20-inch minimum size requirement, until further notice.
However, the court order means the broader federal waters season — which many Brevard offshore anglers and charter boats rely on — remains closed for now.
