Saving Seafood

SOUTH CAROLINA: SC’s red snapper season on pause amid federal lawsuit

June 22, 2026 — Anglers won’t be able to reel in red snappers off South Carolina’s coast this summer after a federal judge paused the state’s extended season.

The decision, which came in response to a lawsuit filed last month in Washington, D.C., reversed a federal agency’s approval to extend the state’s recreational fishing season from two days last year to 62 days this year. The state Department of Natural Resources touted that approval as a victory following years of pushing for longer seasons to catch the large, red fish.

South Carolina’s red snapper season was set to begin July 1.

Because the legal case won’t be resolved before then, state officials withdrew the application for a longer season and are instead working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to set dates for a red snapper season this fall, DNR said in a news release Friday.

The Southeastern Fisheries Association, which represents nearly 300 southeastern businesses, sued Secretary Howard Lutnick, arguing the U.S. Department of Commerce, which oversees the permits, failed to consider the possibility of overfishing in violation of a 1976 conservation law.

Read the full article at the South Carolina Daily Gazette 

SOUTH CAROLINA: Federal injunction keeps red snapper permit suspended; SC proposes fall season

June 19, 2026 — South Carolina’s planned summer pilot season for red snapper fishing in federal waters remains on hold after a federal court injunction suspended similar permits across the region, state wildlife officials said.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources’ (SCDNR) Exempted Fishing Permit for red snapper remains suspended because of the injunction affecting permits in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida. The permit would have allowed a 62-day red snapper season in federal waters off South Carolina beginning July 1.

Read the full article at WPDE

SOUTH CAROLINA: South Carolina anglers to get longer red snapper season under new permits

May 12, 2026 — South Carolina anglers will have a much longer window to reel in red snapper this summer after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration approved state permits for the 2026 recreational season at the beginning of this month.

Sen. Stephen Goldfinch said the approval means anglers will now have 61 to 62 days to fish for red snapper off South Carolina’s coast and in federal waters, rather than the prior 1 to 2 days.

The permits allow the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to pilot a program to collect data on how many fish are targeted, harvested and released.

Read the full article at WPDE

Clean needles depend on the blue blood of horseshoe crabs

August 23, 2021 — It’s one of the stranger, lesser-known aspects of U.S. health care — the striking, milky-blue blood of horseshoe crabs is a critical component of tests to ensure injectable medications such as coronavirus vaccines aren’t contaminated.

To obtain it, harvesters bring many thousands of the creatures to laboratories to be bled each year, and then return them to the sea — a practice that has drawn criticism from conservationists because some don’t survive the process.

The blood, which is blue due to its copper content, is coveted for proteins used to create the LAL test, a process used to screen medical products for bacteria. Synthetic alternatives aren’t widely accepted by the health care industry and haven’t been approved federally, leaving the crabs as the only domestic source of this key ingredient.

Many of these crabs are harvested along the coast of South Carolina, where Gov. Henry McMaster promoted the niche industry as key to the development of a domestic medical supply chain, while also noting that environmental concerns should be explored.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

South Carolina shrimp season opens for 2021 with a brighter outlook than last year

May 28, 2021 — South Carolina’s shrimping season opened May 27 with some trawlers already stationed over their favorite spots overnight so they could drop their nets right when restrictions lifted at 8 a.m.

Shrimpers have been able to trawl in a narrow “provisional area” between state and federal waters since April, but the real season begins when the S.C. Department of Natural Resources opens all of state waters, which extend about 3 miles offshore.

Mel Bell, director of the Office of Fisheries Management at DNR, said that a mild winter and promising results from the state’s sampling of the shrimp population made it an ideal time to open the season. State regulators want to make sure that female white shrimp have spawned at least once before allowing the catch to start, and late May is a typical time for them to make that call.

Read the full story at The Post and Courier

FB20:068: Request for Comments: Proposed Gear and Harvest Limits at Artificial Reef Sites in the South Atlantic Region

November 16, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

KEY MESSAGE:

NOAA Fisheries requests your comments on the proposed rule for Regulatory Amendment 34 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region.  Comments on the proposed rule are due by December 16, 2020.

The proposed rule would create 34 special management zones around artificial reefs off North Carolina and South Carolina as requested by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.  There would be additional gear and harvest restrictions within the proposed special management zones.

The purpose of the framework amendment is to restrict use of fishing gear that could result in high exploitation rates to reduce adverse effects to federally managed snapper-grouper species at these sites.

Maps and coordinates of the proposed special management zones found here: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/regulatory-amendment-34-special-management-zones-smz.

SUMMARY OF PROPOSED CHANGES:

  • The proposed rule would create special management zones around select artificial reef sites off North Carolina (30) and off South Carolina (4).
  • The proposed SMZs range in size from 0.041 to 1.01 square miles.
  • Harvest of snapper-grouper species would only be allowed with handline, rod and reel, and spear in the SMZs. Therefore, this action would prohibit the use of bandit reel, powerhead, pot, and longline gear at these sites.
  • In the proposed SMZs off North Carolina, harvest of snapper-grouper species by spear would be limited to the applicable recreational bag limit.

In the proposed SMZs off South Carolina, harvest of snapper-grouper species with all gear types would be limited to the applicable recreational bag limit.

HOW TO COMMENT ON THE PROPOSED RULE:

You may submit comments by electronic submission or by postal mail.  Comments sent by any other method (such as e-mail), to any other address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, may not be considered by NOAA Fisheries.  Comments on the proposed rule are due by December 16, 2020. 

FORMAL FEDERAL REGISTER NUMBER:  85 FR 73013, November 16, 2020

Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal.

  1. Go to http://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NOAA-NMFS-2020-0123.
  2. Click the “Comment Now!” icon, complete the required fields.
  3. Enter or attach your comments.

Mail: Submit written comments to Rick DeVictor, Southeast Regional Office, NMFS, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.

Where can I find more information on Regulatory Amendment 34?

Coronavirus halted some fish population research in SC. Now it’s ramping back up.

August 24, 2020 — Five months after social distancing began scuttling scientific field work around South Carolina, the marine researchers who watch over fish and other aquatic life have re-started monitoring efforts.

In a few cases, the gap in data could add uncertainty for years to come over decisions about when and how to allow certain fishing.

In March, the spread of COVID-19 prompted the S.C. Department of Natural Resources to pause its research vessel trips, including the inshore trawl of the Charleston Harbor that had run every month without interruption for four decades. The trawl drags a net along the harbor floor and researchers collect data on what comes up. Among other things, it allows state regulators to keep an eye on the shrimp population.

Read the full story at The Post and Courier

South Carolina officials expect healthy shrimp season for commercial trawlers in local waters

May 28, 2020 — As of 8 a.m. Wednesday, May 27, the commercial shrimp trawling season is open in all legal South Carolina waters, according to a press release from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

In the release, the SCDNR reported that this start date is in line with the average year and they expect there to be a healthy supply of roe white shrimp, which are typically plentiful in the spring shrimping season.

“Based on field sampling completed by SCDNR biologists earlier in the year, as well as reported landings of shrimp from federal waters and our provisional areas beginning in mid-April, our white shrimp abundance this year should be about average or slightly better in comparison to previous similar years,” said SCDNR Office of Fisheries Management director Mel Bell.

Read the full story at the Charleston City Paper

US Commerce declares fishing disasters for 7 states

September 26, 2019 — U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has declared fishing disasters for seven states on three coasts.

“Fishing is the cornerstone of countless coastal economies and has been a way of life for generations of Americans,” he said in a brief news release Wednesday. “This determination acknowledges the critical role fisheries play in our communities, and the risks they face from natural disasters and other causes beyond their control.”

Ross’ action makes people and businesses eligible for NOAA fisheries disaster assistance. Congress has appropriated $165 million for such help for fiscal 2019 and the Commerce Department decides allocations to eligible fisheries, the statement said.

The statement said a regional disaster occurred for Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama because of “extreme flooding events in the Gulf of Mexico.” Alaska and California each had multiple requests approved; one for both Georgia and South Carolina will help shrimpers and shrimp processors. An unusually cold spell in January 2018 killed the vast majority of shrimp overwintering in estuaries, Erin Weeks, spokeswoman for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, said in an email.

Read the full story at The Star Tribune

SAFMC Wraps Up Meeting Week by Approving Measures for Best Fishing Practices

September 23, 2019 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Members of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council concluded their week-long meeting in Charleston, SC after approving federal fishery management measures intended to help implement best fishing practices and improve survivability of released fish. The measures, as included in Regulatory Amendment 29 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan, would require fishermen fishing for snapper grouper species to have a descending device onboard and readily available for use when fishing in federal waters. The devices can be used to help reduce injuries caused by barotrauma, injury that occurs due to expansion of gas when fish are reeled up from deeper water. The condition may result in protruding stomachs from a fish’s mouth, enlarged eyes, and other conditions that keep fish from swimming back to depth. Descending devices are designed to help get the fish back down to deeper water and alleviate the symptoms. Both descending devices and venting tools, when properly used, can be used to treat barotrauma and significantly increase the likelihood that a released fish survives.

The amendment includes additional measures to modify existing requirements for the use of non-stainless-steel and circle hooks when fishing for snapper grouper species with natural baits to help reduce injury to released fish. A measure to standardize the use of powerhead gear by divers off the coast of South Carolina is also included. If approved by the Secretary of Commerce, regulations in Regulatory Amendment 29 may be implemented in 2020.

The Council had lengthy discussions about requiring the devices onboard and how to best define a descending device for regulatory purposes. “The intent is to encourage fishermen to use descending devices when necessary to help increase the likelihood that a fish pulled up rapidly from deep water survives,” said Council Vice Chair Mel Bel, representing the SC Department of Natural Resources Division of Marine Fisheries. “No one wants to see fish floating on the surface after being released. The purpose of the regulation isn’t to write tickets, but to reduce release mortality by providing fishermen with the understanding and tools needed to do so when they run offshore.”

Council members continued to stress the importance of outreach and education for informing fishermen on the proper use of the devices. A Best Practices video tutorial is currently available from the Council’s website at: https://safmc.net/electronic-reporting-projects/myfishcount/(click the “Best Practices” tab) and additional outreach materials will be developed. The regulatory amendment also includes a research and monitoring plan that recommends NOAA Fisheries monitor the use of descending devices and continue research to determine their effectiveness in reducing discard mortality. The information may be used to evaluate improvements in the survival of released snapper grouper species in order to incorporate new discard mortality estimates into future stock assessments.

Read the full release here