FLORIDA – Just one day before Florida’s newly extended Atlantic red snapper season was slated to begin for eager anglers, a federal court halted the recreational fishing period under exempted fishing permits in the South Atlantic, effective immediately.
On Thursday, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted a preliminary injunction, halting activities under the exempted fishing permits, or EFPs, that authorized the 2026 state recreational red snapper seasons in the South Atlantic.
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A federal judge granted an injunction after a fishing trade group and others sued to block the Trump administration’s plan to expand recreational access.
The season was scheduled to begin Memorial Day weekend and continue through June before reopening during three October weekends.
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The South Atlantic EFPs for Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina are no longer in effect until further order from the court.
“All recreational fishing under these South Atlantic EFPs is not authorized, including tomorrow’s start date of May 22, 2026, for Florida’s recreational red snapper season,” NOAA Fisheries said in a statement. “Contact your state agency for further details.”
Earlier in the month, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that NOAA approved the 39-day recreational fishing season through an exempted fishing permit pilot program that gives the state more authority over Atlantic recreational red snapper management.
The ruling does not affect the South Atlantic red snapper commercial season, which NOAA Fisheries said it will announce at a later date. NOAA Fisheries also said it will announce whether there will be a 2026 federal recreational season for red snapper in the South Atlantic.