Florida's Red Snapper Season Controversy, Explained

There has been a lot of confusion over the last few days about Florida’s Atlantic red snapper season, so here is the plain-English version for anyone who had plans to fish the east coast.

Florida’s expanded Atlantic red snapper season was supposed to begin under a NOAA-approved Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP). That EFP would have dramatically expanded the season in both Atlantic state and federal waters beginning May 22, 2026.

Then on May 21, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction that temporarily blocked the EFP program.

The lawsuit was brought by the Southeastern Fisheries Association along with several commercial fishing businesses and commercial fishermen. Recreational fishing groups including ASA and CCA later intervened in support of the expanded recreational season and the state-management pilot program.

In response, NOAA announced that the EFPs for Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina were no longer in effect until further court order. (NOAA Fisheries)

In response, FWC rescinded Executive Order 26-11 and reverted to Florida’s default Atlantic red snapper rules in state waters. According to FWC, anglers may currently harvest Atlantic red snapper in Florida Atlantic state waters with a 2-fish bag limit and a 20-inch minimum size limit until further notice.

For the east coast, state waters generally mean from shore out to 3 nautical miles.

Over the last 24 hours we’ve heard some folks say that “Florida waters now extend as far offshore as you can safely return,” or that “FWC isn’t enforcing the 3-mile line,” or that “all fish caught offshore will just be treated as state-water fish.”

Just to be clear: we cannot find any official statement backing that up.

FWC absolutely appears to be trying to preserve access for Florida anglers where the state has authority. They also stated officers were informed about the confusing nature of the situation and would focus on education within their jurisdictional waters. But there has been NO official announcement saying the Atlantic state-water boundary no longer matters, and NOAA’s federal guidance still says the federal recreational harvest remains closed under the blocked EFP. (Facebook)

On Florida’s Atlantic coast, state waters generally extend from shore out to 3 nautical miles. Beyond that is federal water.

So the safest and most defensible interpretation right now is this:

Inside 3 nautical miles on Florida’s Atlantic coast: currently open under FWC’s temporary state-water rule.

Beyond 3 nautical miles: the federal EFP season is currently blocked, and there is no official statement saying federal waters are open.

Could enforcement end up being inconsistent while agencies sort this out? Maybe. There are already reports online of people calling FWC and getting informal responses suggesting “business as usual.” But unless you are willing to become the test case in federal court, it is probably smart not to treat Facebook comments as legal advice.

This entire situation highlights the ongoing fight between recreational anglers, commercial interests, federal fisheries management, and state-led management efforts. Florida pushed hard for a state-managed approach similar to what expanded Gulf red snapper access, while commercial fishing groups and environmental organizations pushed back in court.

For now, know the line. Know the rules. Verify before you run offshore. And hopefully this mess gets resolved quickly so anglers get the reasonable access they were promised.