May 8, 2026 –A Monroe County judge sentenced a Florida Keys commercial fisherman to a month in jail Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to 30 lobster violations.
Raidel Alvarez Perez, 52, pleaded guilty to 16 counts of possessing wrung lobster tails while on the water and seven counts of possessing undersized spiny lobster.
All spiny lobsters caught must be brought back to shore whole, according to Florida law.\
April 13, 2026 — In the ruby red state of Florida, another crimson symbol often swims through Gov. Ron DeSantis’ remarks: red snapper.
The scarlet bottom-feeder is a prize among anglers, a coveted dish for residents and a goal for tourists hoping to experience a day of Sunshine State recreation. It’s also become part of the state’s cultural heritage, one DeSantis frequently revisits during press conferences around Florida.
But the yearslong battle over how to manage red snapper fisheries is spreading across the state, and has left some commercial fishers and environmental groups worried for the future of the beloved fish.
Florida has applied to take temporary control of the recreational red snapper fishery along the state’s Atlantic Coast through an exempted fishing permit, or EFP. If approved, the state would clinch another victory in its push to expand control of red snapper fisheries and expand access for recreational anglers.
“We know that we can do this effectively, and we know that this is something that could make a big difference for our recreational anglers, particularly in Northeast Florida,” DeSantis said during a November press conference announcing the state’s proposal.
Read the full article at Politico
April 8, 2026 — Scientists have found a new way to detect subtle chemical signatures in seawater—revealing previously invisible details about the ocean’s chemistry from data continuously collected by thousands of autonomous robotic floats drifting across the seas.
A University of Miami Rosenstiel School for Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science-led research team applied a new approach they developed to detect subtle chemical signatures in seawater, revealing that nitrogen cycling in parts of the ocean with very little oxygen, known as oxygen-deficient zones, is far more dynamic than previously thought.
“Understanding when and where nitrogen loss occurs is critical because it governs ocean productivity, the global carbon cycle, and even atmospheric greenhouse gas balance.” said the study’s lead author Mariana Bif, an assistant professor in the Department of Ocean Sciences at the Rosenstiel School.
Using the new method, the team extracted previously unresolved chemical signals in seawater—specifically nitrite and thiosulfate—from ultraviolet (UV) spectra collected by nitrate sensors on Biogeochemical-Argo (BGC-Argo) floats. This approach enables the detection of these key intermediates molecules from datasets originally developed to detect only nitrate.
The float recorded vertical profiles of oxygen, nitrate, pH, and bio-optical properties about every ten days in waters of the Eastern Tropical North Pacific. By reconstructing nitrite concentrations from the UV spectra and combining them with the other measurements in a biochemical model, the researchers were able to resolve how nitrogen cycling pathways varied over time and depth. The model also enabled quantification of the relative contributions of different microbial processes in low-oxygen waters.
April 3, 2026 — Florida’s spiny lobster season closed April 1 across both state and federal waters, bringing a halt to commercial and recreational harvests as the fishery enters its annual spring shutdown.
The closure, set by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, applies fleetwide and marks the start of a four-month pause during the species’ peak spawning period.
March 31, 2026 — Florida’s recreational and commercial spiny lobster harvest seasons in both state and federal waters will close April 1, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The season will reopen Aug. 6, while the annual two-day recreational sport season is scheduled for July 29 and 30, which falls on the last Wednesday and Thursday of July this year.
The special sport season allows both residents and visitors to harvest spiny lobster before the regular season begins, but state wildlife officials remind boaters and divers that bag limits and restrictions vary depending on where they are harvesting.
February 19, 2026 — Development is booming in Florida’s Space Coast, the heart of America’s space industry. But environmental groups and commercial fishers say ecosystems and fishing businesses are suffering amid the nation’s astral ambitions.
The number of annual launches in Florida has more than tripled in the last five years, and the space industry’s biggest players are expected to increase their launch cadence. More rockets launching from Kennedy Space Center in central Florida may also mean more noise, port closures, air and water pollution, ocean acidification, and falling space debris — repercussions space companies and some Florida GOP lawmakers are asking locals to accept as a part of life on the Space Coast.
“Everybody thinks, ‘OK, we’re going to Mars, we’re going to the moon,’” said Bob Zales, executive director of the Southeastern Fisheries Association. “They don’t really think about the impact to the environment and to the people that live and work over there.”
At Kennedy Space Center, the environmental stakes are high. The complex sits inside of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and is sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean and Indian River Lagoon system. The region is an eco-tourism hot spot and houses some of Florida’s most treasured species, including manatees, dolphins, whales, sea turtles and shorebirds.
February 18, 2026 — Florida’s Atlantic Coast could see its longest red snapper season in more than 15 years if federal regulators approve a proposal to shift management of the fishery to the state.
According to a Feb. 12 article by Action News JAX, Florida and three other Southern states have petitioned the federal government to test state-led management of Atlantic red snapper. If approved, Florida’s plan would establish a 30-day season beginning in May, followed by three additional three-day openings in the fall. This would be a significant expansion compared to the short, highly restricted season anglers have faced for nearly two decades.
Charter captain Adam Petnuch of Reel Dream Fishing Charter in St. Augustine told Action News he has fished the South Atlantic for more than a decade and have never seen a full-length red snapper season.
February 17, 2026 — The Trump administration is taking steps toward shifting regulatory authority over red snapper in Atlantic Ocean federal waters to states, a move that some state leaders have argued is necessary to sustain their sportfishing economies.
NOAA Fisheries announced Wednesday it would open a 25-day comment period on “exempted fishing permits” for Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
The permits would allow the states to “test new data collection methods and strategies for state-led management of the recreational red snapper fishery,” the agency said.
February 13, 2026 — Today, NOAA Fisheries announced that they are accepting public comments on applications for Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs) from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
These permits propose to extend recreational fishing seasons for vulnerable red snapper in the South Atlantic. Overfishing drove the red snapper population to just 11 percent of its historical abundance; in response, seasons were reduced as part of a rebuilding plan set to last through 2044.
February 13, 2026 — Florida’s Atlantic Coast could see the longest Red Snapper season since 2009 this year, if the federal government signs off on a plan to shift management of the fishery over to the state.
Charter Fishing Captain Adam Petnuch with Reel Dream Fishing Charters in St. Augustine has been fishing the Southern Atlantic for more than a decade, and not once in that span of time has he had the chance to see a full-length Red Snapper season.
“It’s a very good eating fish and the thing about it is the abundance. It is such an abundant source of fish for us over here,” Petnuch said.