June 6, 2025 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
Key Messages:
- NOAA Fisheries announces changes to management of red snapper in the South Atlantic through a final rule for Amendment 59 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region.
- Amendment 59 was developed by NOAA Fisheries on the Secretary’s behalf under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and is based on the latest population assessment for South Atlantic red snapper which determined the population is undergoing overfishing, not overfished, but not yet rebuilt.
- Amendment 59 and the final rule modify management of South Atlantic red snapper by revising the overfishing limit, acceptable biological catch, annual catch limits, and the proxy for determining red snapper overfishing.
- During development of Amendment 59, NOAA Fisheries held multiple in-person hearings and received extensive comments during the public comment period; most of which opposed all or part of a discard reduction season proposed in the draft amendment to increase commercial and recreational red snapper catch limits and the recreational fishing season length.
- In response to this input, and because a new red snapper stock assessment is underway, which will take into account the results of the South Atlantic Red Snapper Research Program and other new information about the red snapper stock, NOAA Fisheries removed the discard reduction area closure and several other proposed actions from further consideration.
- This will provide the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council another opportunity to consider other management measures to reduce dead discards and increase red snapper fishing opportunities in a future amendment through an open, public process.
- The final rule also announces that the commercial sector will open on July 14, 2025, and will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on January 1, 2026, unless the commercial catch limit is met or projected to be met before this date. The recreational sector will open for two days on July 11 and 12, 2025.
When Rule Will Take Effect:
The final rule is scheduled to publish on June 11, 2025. Regulations will be effective 30 days after the final rule publishes.
What This Means:
Amendment 59 and the Final Rule
- NOAA Fisheries developed Amendment 59 on the Secretary’s behalf to comply with the Magnuson-Stevens Act and a court order because the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council failed to develop and submit, after a reasonable period of time, needed conservation and management measures to end and prevent overfishing of the South Atlantic red snapper population, as required by the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
- The changes implemented through Amendment 59 are based on an update of the 2021 SEDAR 73 population assessment, which includes data through 2023.
- Amendment 59 specifies an overfishing limit of 551,000 fish, an acceptable biological catch of 509,000 fish, and a total annual catch limit equal to 509,000 fish; all of which include both landings and discards.
- The landed catch limits specified by this final rule include a commercial annual catch limit of 102,951 pounds whole weight, and a recreational annual catch limit of 22,797 fish (equivalent to 263,815 pounds whole weight).
- Amendment 59 revises the proxy used to determine if red snapper is undergoing overfishing from a fixed value to a more flexible definition that reflects the best scientific information available at the time an overfishing determination is made.
2025 Red Snapper Fishing Seasons
- The commercial sector will open for harvest at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 14, 2025, and will close at 12:01 a.m., local time, on January 1, 2026, unless the commercial catch limit is met or projected to be met before this date.
- The recreational sector will open for harvest for two days – at 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 11, 2025, through 12:01 a.m., local time, on July 13, 2025.
- The commercial and recreational season lengths for the 2025 fishing year are determined using the revised sector ACLs in this final rule.
Amendment 59 can be found on our website here: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/amendment-59-fishery-management-plan-snapper-grouper-fishery-south-atlantic-region.
This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What action is NOAA Fisheries taking?
NOAA Fisheries has prepared Amendment 59 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Amendment 59) to end and prevent overfishing of red snapper and support rebuilding objectives.
What is a Secretarial Amendment?
Amendment 59 is a Secretarial Amendment. A Secretarial Amendment is an amendment to a fishery management plan that is prepared by NOAA Fisheries on behalf of the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary). This Secretarial Amendment (Amendment 59) has amended the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region.
The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) provides the Secretary authority to act if a Fishery Management Council (Council) fails to develop and submit to the Secretary, after a reasonable period of time, needed conservation and management measures for a species. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council was notified in July 2021 that red snapper was undergoing overfishing, and has not taken action pursuant to the MSA to end the overfishing.
The Secretarial Amendment is similar to other amendments to fishery management plans except NOAA Fisheries prepares the amendment, then provides the amendment to the Council (and the broader public) for consideration and comment.
What actions are included in the amendment?
The amendment and supporting analyses evaluate a range of alternative options for setting and managing red snapper catches at levels that end and prevent overfishing and support rebuilding objectives. The amendment contains three actions:
Action 1. Revise the Fishing Mortality at Maximum Sustainable Yield (FMSY) Proxy for Red Snapper Overfishing
Action 2. Modify the Acceptable Biological Catch for Red Snapper
Action 3. Consider Reducing Dead Discards Set Red Snapper Annual Catch Limits
Why were actions that were in the proposed rule not included in the final rule?
The proposed rule and Draft Environmental Impact Statement had five additional actions that are not in the final rule:
Action 4. Establish New Management Measures to Achieve Dead Discard Targets
Action 5. Modify Commercial Management Measures to Further Optimize Yield
Sub-Action 5a. Increase the Commercial Trip Limit for Red Snapper
Sub-Action 5b. Modify the Commercial Fishing Season for Red Snapper
Action 6. Modify the Recreational Fishing Season for Red Snapper to Further Increase Fishing Opportunities/Optimize Yield
Action 7. Establish an Annual Experimental Studies Program
Action 8. Modify the Fishing Year for Red Snapper
NOAA Fisheries removed Actions 4 through 8 from further consideration in the amendment in view of the fact the new stock assessment will be available soon and because public commenters voiced substantial concerns about the impacts of the discard reduction season. Therefore, these actions would no longer be implemented in this final rule.
NOAA Fisheries added a new preferred annual catch limit alternative in Action 3 that was not in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement or Proposed Rule. The new alternative is based on the results of the SEDAR 73 Update Assessment, and would not require additional measures to reduce dead discards, as found in the discard reduction season alternatives contained in Action 4. The new alternative would set the total annual catch limit for red snapper equal to the acceptable biological catch of 509,000 fish. The total annual catch limit of 509,000 fish would include 34,000 fish (landings) and 475,000 fish (dead discards). Retaining the current allocation percentages from the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan of 28.07% for the commercial sector and 71.93% for the recreational sector, the new commercial annual catch limit will be 102,951 pounds whole weight, and the recreational annual catch limit will be 22,797 fish.
Sign Up for Text Message Alerts – Find Out About Immediate Openings and Closures
NOAA’s 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
Permits Mailbox: The Permits Office in St. Petersburg, Florida, now has a Permits mailbox in the front lobby (263 13th Ave. South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701). You can now drop off original permits for permit transfers. Envelopes with information labels will be provided so that your documents can be attached to the correct application. The mailbox will be checked daily. For more information, contact the Permits Office at 877-376-4877.
Contacts:
Quick Glance Contact List for the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office
Media Contact: Allison Garrett, 727-551-5750
Recreational Fishing Coordinator: Sean Meehan, 727-385-5202
Red Snapper Communications Specialist: Lauren Westcott 727-249-5881