Saving Seafood

The Longest Atlantic Red Snapper Season in Years Is on Hold

May 26 2026 — When the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs) in early May to states from North Carolina south, Atlantic red snapper anglers couldn’t hold in their excitement. That’s because offshore anglers in the South Atlantic have been completely handcuffed from targeting and keeping red snapper for years. Since 2020, the red snapper season in Atlantic federal waters has been just one to four days in July. Even before 2020, the red snapper season has been in overhaul mode since 2010 — there hasn’t been an Atlantic federal recreational season that’s exceeded 8 days since then.

The EFPs are a way for the states to finally have longer recreational red snapper seasons in 2026. Officially, NMFS said:

“The EFPs allow the states to pilot test state data collection and management strategies for the recreational harvest of red snapper in 2026. The EFPs are intended to improve data on recreational fishing effort and catch of red snapper in the South Atlantic and to inform the development of a long-term state-led management strategy for the recreational harvest of red snapper.”

What that means for anglers is a 2026 season that spans months, not a weekend. Off Florida, anglers in federal waters receive 39 days (May 22 – June 20, October 2-4, October 9-11, and October 16-18), while Georgia and the Carolinas enjoy 62 days (July 1 – August 31). Bag limit is just one red snapper a day, but that couldn’t stop the overall buzz and excitement around the docks.

First up was the Sunshine State. In Florida, anglers readied their boats for a Memorial weekend fishing trip, while charters from Jacksonville south were booked with expectant bottom fishermen. As part of the EFPs, anglers are required to declare their fishing trip and report back their red snapper catches.

Read the full article at Wired2fish.com

FLORIDA: US court temporarily halts expansion of Southeast Atlantic recreational red snapper fishing

May 22, 2026 — The United States District Court for the District of Columbia has issued a preliminary injunction temporarily halting four states from expanding their recreational red snapper fishing seasons under exempting fishing permits (EFP) issued earlier in May.

“The South Atlantic EFPs for Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina are no longer in effect until further order from the Court, and the recreational harvest of red snapper in the South Atlantic remains closed,” NOAA Fisheries said in a 21 May statement. “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.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

FLORIDA: FWC slams ‘rogue’ judge as red snapper season gets torpedoed on eve of opener

May 22, 2026 — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is battling a federal court ruling that has thrown the state’s red snapper fishing season into chaos, just as anglers were gearing up for the opening day.

The United States District Court for the District of Columbia granted a preliminary injunction on Thursday against the recently approved Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs) that were set to allow fishing for this popular species in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.

As a result of the court’s decision, all recreational fishing under these EFPs is suspended, effectively closing the red snapper season until further notice.

Read the full article at CBS 12

Right whale calving season brings ‘cautiously optimistic’ hope

May 14, 2026 — North Atlantic right whales, which give birth off the coast of Georgia, the Carolinas and Florida each winter, had their most successful calving season in more than 15 years. There are only about 380 right whales still alive, so every new baby is considered critical to keeping the species from extinction.

Scientists spotted 23 right whale calves swimming with their moms this past calving season, which runs from November to April. It’s the most new calves since 2009. The number has researchers “cautiously optimistic,” said Amy Warren, scientific program officer at the New England Aquarium. But she said calving is only part of the whales’ story.

“Having 23 calves is excellent, but we hope that all of these 23 calves can make it through the first year and then into adulthood,” she said.

It’s not uncommon for calves and adult whales alike to be killed, often by boat strikes or entanglements in fishing gear.

Read the full article at Savannah Now

GEORGIA: Georgia governor signs foreign shrimp labeling legislation

May 8, 2026 — Just over two months after it was approved by the state legislature, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has signed a bill requiring clear labeling of imported shrimp into law.

“The enactment of HB 117 is a huge victory for Georgia shrimpers, who organized an effective grassroots campaign to ensure that consumers have the ability to choose U.S. wild-caught shrimp when they dine out,” Southern Shrimp Alliance Director Blake Price said in a release.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Right whale births reported highest since 2009

April 29, 2026 — Whale researchers report endangered North Atlantic right whales have completed their most successful calving season since 2009, with 23 mother-calf pairs to help rebuild a population estimated at only about 380 animals.

The annual calving season off the southeastern United States, from the Carolinas to Georgia and Florida, runs from mid-November until mid-April and is closely monitored by aerial survey teams.

Scientists with the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium track the season closely. In an April 29 statement they reported there were shorter intervals between calving for the majority of the adult female whales.

“While a healthy right whale can give birth every three to four years, we had been seeing nearly 10 years between calves for some females. Many of this year’s moms have had shorter intervals—18 of them previously gave birth within the last six years—giving us hope that they may be healthier and can help grow the population faster,” said Amy Warren, scientific program officer for the Anderson Cabot Center.

Read the full article at WorkBoat

Right whale calving season yields 23 babies

April 23, 2026 — North Atlantic right whales, a beleaguered species of fewer than 400 individuals, gave researchers new reason to hope this winter off the coast of Georgia.

The bus-sized giants migrate to the Southeast to give birth. And for this calving season they did so in numbers unseen in nearly two decades, producing at least 23 calves that survey teams documented from planes and boats.

In all, the Georgia team saw 122 individual whales, about a third of the entire population.

“It was a really, really great season,” said Jessica Thompson, a senior wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and manager of the agency’s marine mammal program.

Thompson and her team saw right whales of all ages, from newborn to 50-something. And they saw them nearly every time weather and sea conditions allowed them to look.

“It was a really joyful and fantastic time in the calving grounds this season, because I think we only had one vessel survey where we did not work with whales the whole season,” she said.

Read the full article at GPB

States could net control of 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.

Read the full article at E&E News

GEORGIA: Georgia legislature sends shrimp labeling bill to governor for signature

February 17, 2026 — The Georgia state legislature has passed a bill requiring restaurants to clearly label imported shrimp on their menus or with a public placard, sending it to Governor Brian Kemp to be signed into law.

“This bill simply requires that shrimp sold in foodservice establishments must be labeled as foreign imports IF they are not domestic,” State Representative Jesse Petrea, who sponsored House Bill 117, said in a social media post shortly after it passed the Georgia General Assembly. “This measure provides transparency for consumers and will benefit our GA Shrimpers.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Debate grows over NOAA plan to expand snapper access

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.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman