Act Now: How to Oppose Red Snapper Fishing Closure

In a decades-long effort by NOAA Fisheries to close huge swaths of our oceans to recreational fishing under the premise of fishery management, rather than using accepted measures such as bag limits, gear or season modifications, the Feds are on the doorstep of a significant closure.

NOAA Fisheries is all but ignoring Congress, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) as they move forward with Secretarial Amendment 59, a misguided effort NOAA claims is needed to rebuild Atlantic red snapper stocks.

Amendment 59 proposes to close all recreational angling from the Florida-Georgia border south to Cape Canaveral, over 180 miles of coastline, for 55 snapper and grouper species, from Dec. 1 through the end of February, in order to prevent the catch and release of red snapper.

And the puzzling part is NOAA is using demonstrably bad data to justify this extreme proposal. Atlantic red snapper are as abundant now as they’ve ever been.

“Since 2010, South Atlantic red snapper have rebounded so much that scientists and fishermen both agree the stock is at record abundance, and there are now more red snapper in the South Atlantic today than any living person has ever seen,” said Martha Guyas of American Sportfishing Association (ASA).

Yet, here we are.

Amendment 59 would increase the recreational catch of red snapper slightly, going to a single fish per person for a four- to nine-day season, but close much of the Atlantic to you for 55 other snapper and grouper species, for three months.

Seem fair? No, it’s not. And it gets worse.

Amendment 59 more than doubles the amount of red snapper commercial fishermen can take, increasing trip limits from 75 pounds to 150 pounds, during a 121- to 178-day commercial season, without any additional restrictions or closures!

Are You Seeing Red Yet?

And the worst part? Time to avert this massive closure is all but gone. The official public comment period on Amendment 59 is over and NOAA has set June 6, 2025 as the date to move forward with the regulations.

All this is happening in spite of near-universal opposition from the public, elected lawmakers and fishery managers.

Over 500 public comments, almost all opposed to Amendment 59, were submitted to NOAA. U.S. Congressmen John H. Rutherford (Jacksonville) introduced the bipartisan Red Snapper Act to stop NOAA from closing the snapper and grouper fishery off much of Florida’s coast. The SAFMC opposed the Amendment with a detailed six-page letter, agreeing with their goal of ending overfishing for red snapper, but stated repeatedly that Amendment 59 goes beyond the stated objective of ending overfishing and said that fishery management decisions should be considered through the Council amendment process, with greater opportunity for public comment.

The FWC response to NOAA was straighter to the point, stating they believe Amendment 59 can’t be implemented because it’s based on bad science.

“Plain and simple: we need better data,” Congressman Rutherford said.

So what can you do? Time is running out.

If you’re seeing red, thinking anger is a good motivator, contact Mr. Andrew Strelcheck, Regional Administrator NOAA Fisheries. Oppose Secretarial Amendment 59. Tell him that NOAA can’t implement Amendment 59 as drafted and must start the process over.

Call to Action

To oppose Secretarial Amendment 59, take action before June 6.

• Contact Mr. Andrew Strelcheck, Regional Administrator
• NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Regional Office
• 263 13th Avenue South
• St. Petersburg, FL 33701
• (727) 824-5305

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This article is featured in the June 2025 issue of Florida Sportsman magazine. Click to subscribe

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