Saving Seafood

SOUTH CAROLINA: South Carolina DNR proposes longer Red Snapper season, moving data regulation to state level

November 17, 2025 — After years of concerns, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is asking for a change in the red snapper season that it says would benefit both fishermen and the economy.

Fishermen in South Carolina are currently only allowed to go after red snappers for two days in July. Local marine wildlife officials said those limitations are based on unreliable data.

“As our application notes, Marine Recreational Information Program catch estimates of red snapper regularly carry standard errors exceeding 50%, making them unreliable and not suitable for use and management,” DNR chief Tom Mullikin said.

The DNR proposal, in partnership with state Sen. Stephen Goldfinch of Murrells Inlet, the South Carolina Boating and Fishing Alliance and the Coastal Conservation Association South Carolina, would not put data collection in the hands of the state and extend the season to 61 or 62 days.

Read the full article at WBTM

Senate passes Alabama-backed bill to block illegal red snapper and tuna imports into the U.S.

July 18, 2025 — A bill aimed at protecting local fishermen from illegally caught fish being sold in the U.S., passed the Senate with the support of both senators from Alabama.

The Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act, co-sponsored by Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), instructs the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to create a standard method of identifying the country of origin for red snapper and some species of tuna that is imported into the United States.

Read the full article at WHNT

US Senate passes bill to develop testing for red snapper, tuna origins

July 16, 2025 — The U.S. Senate has passed a bill directing the federal government to develop a new field test kit that can identify the country of origin of red snapper and tuna, giving law enforcement a new tool to discover illegally caught or imported fish.

“Seafood that’s caught illegally or intentionally mislabeled rips off consumers and makes it harder for law-abiding U.S. fishermen to compete,” U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said in a statement. “Our bill will help fight against anyone who tries to pass off cheap foreign tuna for high-quality ahi from local Hawai‘i fishermen.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

FLORIDA: Florida representatives want to ban shark feeding to stop red snapper depredation

June 19, 2025 — Two lawmakers from the U.S. state of Florida want to ban shark feeding off the state’s coast, claiming the practice leads to increased activity and depredation of red snapper.

“As a Floridian and member of the House Natural Resources Committee, I am committed to the responsible stewardship of our marine ecosystems and safety of our waters,” U.S. Representative Daniel Webster (R-Florida) said in a statement. “This legislation mirrors current Florida law, which helps ensure the safety of Floridians and provide commonsense conservation of marine wildlife.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US Justice Department indicts four Mexican fishers for illegal red snapper harvest

May 16, 2025 –A grand jury in Texas has indicted four Mexican fishers on charges of illegally harvesting red snapper in U.S. waters.

According to the criminal complaint, U.S. authorities observed a crew of four fishers from Matamoros, Mexico, operating several miles north of the U.S.-Mexico maritime border in the Gulf of Mexico, currently referred to as the Gulf of America by the U.S. government. Operating in an unmarked, unregistered, panga-style fishing vessel without running lights, the crew reportedly harvested 315 kilograms of red snapper.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

FLORIDA: Gov. DeSantis announces longest Gulf red snapper season

April 29, 2025 — Florida is ready to allow its longest-ever Gulf red snapper recreational season for 2025. Anglers will be allowed to harvest the gamefish for a total of 126 days total, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday.

Gulf red snapper management was previously handled by the federal government, but they shifted management to Gulf states over the years.

“When I became governor, a lot of anglers would tell me the way the federal government was managing the red snapper was not an accurate representation of what was actually there,” DeSantis said.

Read the full story at the South Florida Sun Sentinel

US bill would create new method for testing red snapper and tuna country of origin

January 31, 2025 — United States senators have introduced legislation that would task the federal government with developing a new methodology for identifying where tuna and red snapper sold in the U.S. originated from.

If passed, the Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act would direct the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and NOAA with creating a field test kit that uses a chemical agent to determine whether red snapper or certain species of tuna originated in foreign waters.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US lawmakers move to block NOAA Fisheries from closing red snapper fishery

January 21, 2025 —  Federal lawmakers from the U.S. state of Florida have introduced legislation to block NOAA Fisheries from closing the recreational South Atlantic red snapper fishery for three months of the year.

“Florida’s fishing industry is a multi-billion dollar economic driver in our state, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs and attracting visitors to communities along our coast,” U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-Florida) said in a statement. “We’ve made great strides in Florida to ensure our natural resources are preserved and protected for years to come, including rebuilding the Red Snapper population. I’m proud to work with [U.S. Representative John Rutherford (R-Florida)] on the Red Snapper Act to support our state’s commercial and recreational fishing industry and ensure their success isn’t limited by federal government’s outdated data and regulations.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Red snapper reopens for federal for-hire permitted boats. Is this good for the fishery?

November 19, 2024 — After one of the longest red snapper seasons in more than a decade, the red snapper federal for-hire season is reopening again.

Although it may be good for a little extra business, Destin charter boat captains are not so sure it will be good for the fishery.

“I think it was a nice gesture, if that’s what you want to call it, and I’m sure it will generate a few trips for some boats, which is great,” said Capt. Justin Destin of the Un Reel. “But I’m more concerned with the well-being of the population of red snapper in our area. There’s a reason we are not catching our quota during the longest season we’ve had in years. More days is not the answer.”

Federal for-hire boats just finished an 88-day red snapper season, June 1 to Aug. 28.

According to a news release from the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, “NOAA Fisheries determined that the red snapper recreational federal for-hire annual catch target was not reached during the open season.”

Read the full article at The Destin Log

NOAA announces $2M investment to protect Gulf of Mexico’s red snapper

October 17, 2024 — NOAA said Wednesday $2 million provided by the Inflation Reduction Act is being awarded to fisheries partnerships for data collection and modeling to help understand and mitigate climate change impacts.

NOAA is partnering with the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies at the University of Miami.

The money will be used to improve scientific data and management decisions regarding the red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico.

“This $2 million investment, made possible thanks to President Biden’s historic Inflation Reduction Act, will boost NOAA’s ability to support red snapper populations by expanding scientific partnerships that improve data collection and help us understand and mitigate the impacts of climate change on fisheries in coastal regions nationwide,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in a statement.

Read the full article at UPI