Red Snapper Used as Cudgel by Fed Judge

It appears every red snapper these days is a Democrat. And although proof is unlikely, they must at least have a union, as the season to fish for these tasty creatures has been halted by a federal judge. The injunction flies in the face of President Donald Trump, who earlier this month approved extended fishing permits for Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, allowing those states to manage their own red snapper seasons. And now we wait for an imminent tit-for-tat volley from the president, the states affected, and more than a handful of disappointed fishermen.

The legal injunction completely cancels out the extended multi-month season until further notice from the court. The season was scheduled to commence on June 1 and continue through June 20 before reopening during three October weekends. For now, harvest remains completely closed and is not authorized under the paused exempted fishing permits (EFP).

Angling for a Fight

The red snapper has a task force in Georgia assigned the job of ensuring the fish are healthy, in decent waters, have reproduced enough, and that anglers aren’t taking advantage of the system. And Georgians were excited that they would soon be out on the water to catch a fish or two.

Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) said he couldn’t wait to get out on the water: “Thank you, President Trump, for your common-sense approach to red snapper resource management! I understand that Georgia’s anglers are the experts and better equipped to set conservation and fishing policies that protect fish stocks and our way of life, not Washington bureaucrats.”

Wait for it: “As Co-Chair of the South Atlantic Red Snapper Task Force, this is a HUGE win for anglers that we have tirelessly advocated for. We’re Making Red Snapper Fishing Great Again, and I can’t wait to get out on the water!” Carter texted. Uh oh, that is going to raise a red flag – or ball cap.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) called Trump’s approval a “huge win” on X: “GREAT NEWS for our Florida fishermen! @POTUS approved ALL state permits for the 2026 Red Snapper season. Biden tried to shut down our oceans. We fought back and WON. This is a HUGE win. We are back in business!”

A double down and taking the Biden name in vain. It seems fishing for red snapper turned into a useful political tool. And US District Judge Rudolph Contreras in Washington, DC, stopped the opening weekend before it even started.

Red Snapper: Who Loves Baby?

Commercial fishing groups and conservationists (including the Southeastern Fisheries Association and the Ocean Conservancy) started this delay by suing to block the expanded season. They argue the new EFPs would severely exceed annual catch limits, cause catastrophic overfishing, and violate federal fisheries law (the Magnuson-Stevens Act). For those who like to partake in a perfectly cooked snapper but have no desire to actually fish, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) is the primary law governing marine fisheries management in US federal waters. First enacted in 1976 and added to over the decades, it aims to prevent overfishing, rebuild depleted fish stocks, and ensure sustainable seafood supplies within 200 nautical miles (230 by Rideshare) of the coastline.

In a proper working government, the MSA divides the management among eight Regional Fishery Management Councils. These councils—comprising federal and state officials, fishing industry experts, and scientists – are responsible for developing, monitoring, and revising specific fishery management plans tailored to their local ecosystems and economic needs.

Trump’s administration disregarded these required procedures – using agency directives to allow commercial fishing in the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument and the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument. Hence, the abrupt stop in fishing altogether. Unless you are a heavily regulated commercial fishing operation with strict quotas, permit requirements, and seasonal closures.

Changing Lanes

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) opened state waters (extending three miles out from the coast) to allow anglers to fish with a default bag limit of two red snapper per person. The rules stay pretty simple: anglers can keep one red snapper per person per day, and there is no minimum size limit. Before heading out, anglers targeting the red snapper will also have to declare their trip through a new FWC reporting system.

What could be most interesting in this whole fish story is that the red snapper is not in danger of being overfished. According to an extensive study by Harte Research based out of Corpus Christi, there are about 118 million red snappers in the Gulf of America. Here’s the takeaway:

“This study builds on our scientific knowledge base and improves our understanding of Red Snapper abundance in a non-contentious and constructive approach to federal assessments. This absolute abundance estimate will bolster future assessments and afford other stock evaluation and management options.”

That’s a fancy PhD way of saying there are plenty of fish in the sea.

Snapper Vacay Unlimited

Stopping the search and hook of a good-sized Red Snapper will not cause any family to go hungry, per se, but it will affect in a negative way a lot of mom and pop businesses that are seasonal for fishing: the local tourism industry, a significant loss of revenue for bait shops, charter boat captains, and local coastal economies during holiday weekends. The Hooked on Snapper Shirt isn’t going to sell itself. Most of these businesses have already stocked their shelves and upgraded their equipment. There’s the hit that Judge Rudolph Contreras can’t be bothered by.