FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has submitted an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to allow state management of the recreational red snapper fishing season in the Federal Waters in the Atlantic Ocean.
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“There are way more fish than what the federal government tells you there are. People see it when they are out there doing it,” DeSantis said.
The proposal includes:
- A 39-day recreational season
- Two-phased season
- Summer: From May 22 (Memorial Day Weekend) through June 20
- Fall: Three-day weekends in October (Oct. 2–4, 9–11, and 16–18)
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“This will be very significant for the local economy here. It will also be very good for folks to be able to have more recreational activities to be able to engage in,” DeSantis said.
For the past seven years, the state has managed private recreational red snapper in the Gulf, turning what was once a three-day season into an over 120-day season in 2025. In 2025, the Red Snapper season in the Atlantic was only two days long.
Captain Robert Johnson, a local charter captain, said he’s ecstatic about this proposal.
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“I know a lot about the federal end of things and I can tell you that what they were doing isn’t working,” Johnson said. “I fully support it.”
DeSantis said he’s spoken with President Trump and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce about this proposal, and he said they were receptive to it.
DeSantis hopes to have this plan in place starting in 2026.
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