Overview
- A U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., granted a preliminary injunction on Friday that immediately froze the exempted fishing permits (EFPs) that would have allowed four states to run expanded 2026 recreational red snapper seasons.
- NOAA Fisheries said the injunction means all recreational fishing under the South Atlantic EFPs is not authorized, explicitly including Florida’s 39-day season that was to begin on May 22.
- The EFPs were intended to let Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina pilot state-managed seasons and require app-based reporting to improve recreational catch data and angler input.
- NOAA said the court order does not affect the South Atlantic commercial red snapper season and that it will later announce whether there will be a 2026 federal recreational season.
- The pause drew strong reactions from state officials who had promoted longer seasons and from conservation-focused plaintiffs who sued over overfishing risks, with the final legal outcome set to decide whether the state pilots and expanded angler access move forward.