Federal Judge Blocks Expanded Atlantic Red Snapper Season in Four States
The judge cited environmental concerns and estimates that Florida’s expanded season could bring in up to 485,000 recreational catches.
- U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras halted the expanded Atlantic red snapper season just before it began on May 22, issuing an injunction that blocks NOAA's plan to exempt states from key fishing restrictions.
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis led a coalition of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina to assume management of the recreational snapper fishery under President Donald Trump's "Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness" executive order signed last year.
- The nonprofit Ocean Conservancy estimated recreational catches could reach up to 485,000 in Florida alone during the expanded season, prompting commercial fishermen like North Carolina fisherman Jeff Oden to fear stock depletion and lost income.
- Florida wildlife officials denounced the ruling as the work of a "rogue federal judge," while some fishermen involved in the lawsuit reported receiving threats after DeSantis falsely accused them of trying to commandeer the quota.
- Scientists urge caution, noting NOAA estimates roughly one-quarter of released snapper die, yet recreational angler Chris Kemp argues the stock is thriving after his group hooked a dozen fish within 40 minutes.
29 Articles
29 Articles
DeSantis promised anglers a 'God-given right to fish.' It ran into a 25% kill rate and a Washington injunction
Miles from shore, Chris Kemp pumps and reels as he battles a fish 150 feet below. Eventually, it gives up, and the 10-pound red snapper is hauled aboard the Jodie Lynn II. There’s barely time to rejoice. As Kemp raises his trophy for a picture, the charter boat’s captain rushes over and then drives a knifelike tool into the fish’s gas-filled bladder. The procedure, required by federal law, is intended to improve the fish’s chances of survival af…
Associated Press News
Fishermen prepared for the longest red snapper season in recent memory. A court order stopped it
A federal judge in Washington has blocked a plan to loosen rules for fishing red snapper in the Atlantic, halting what was expected to be the longest recreational snapper season in years.
Winnipeg Free Press
A fish fight off Florida tests Trump’s drive to deregulate America’s seas
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (AP) — Miles from shore, Chris Kemp pumps and reels as he battles a fish 150 feet below. Eventually, it gives up, and the 10-pound red snapper is hauled aboard the Jodie Lynn II.
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