STEINHATCHEE, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference Wednesday morning at a marina in Steinhatchee.
The governor presented a check for $1 million to the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida for repairs to marine infrastructure in the wake of hurricanes Helene and Milton.
“Just like we did after Hurricane Ian and Idalia, I’m announcing funding from the Florida Disaster Fund to be contributed to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Foundation to support the rebuilding of working waterfronts damaged by hurricanes Helene and Milton. So we are going to contribute $1 million to the FWC Foundation to rebuild critical waterside infrastructure so business owners can get back up and working, and that has nothing to do with anything the federal government approves or doesn’t approve. That money is in the bank and that can be used immediately. In addition to that, the Fish and Wildlife Foundation will make an additional grant to supplement the million dollars that we’re doing from the Florida Disaster Fund; these funds will go towards rebuilding of boat slips, repair of fish houses, financial assistance to aquaculture businesses and other important infrastructure repairs for Florida’s fishing economy across the Big Bend region.”
DeSantis was joined at Sea Hag Marina by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Executive Director Roger Young and several others.
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During the news conference, DeSantis said the FWC has taken the first steps to request control of south Atlantic red snapper season, seeking to take over management from the federal government.
“So there is federal government restrictions on what people are allowed to fish, particularly in the Atlantic. We have, in recent years, in the state, (been) taking over management of the Gulf red snapper fishing season, and it was a priority for me when I became governor to expand the Gulf red snapper fishing season because the federal data was not accurate in terms of the fish that were actually there, and you talk to people that actually are out there, and they see all the fish, so we knew the data wasn’t good, and so we’ve been working for many years to continue to expand,” DeSantis said.
The governor said that through angler-driven data collection, the state plans to make full request to the federal government for the state to assume the management of south Atlantic red snapper season.
“Doing so would mean even more economic opportunity for Florida’s fishing industry as it recovers from recent storms. When D.C. doesn’t get the job done, state of Florida steps up and does it right, and that’s exactly what we will do in this circumstance. So I look forward to making progress on that, and I know that the data is going to be much more accurate that we’re able to collect than what is currently being used to have such a skimpy Atlantic snapper season — to have three days over two years in this massive ocean, you got to be kidding me — and we showed in the Gulf that it doesn’t have to be this way. So, let us handle Atlantic, and we would be able to provide many more opportunities for people throughout the state of Florida,” DeSantis said.
The fish-focused government authority NOAA Fisheries says it takes data into account from the south Atlantic state-specific red snapper surveys, Southeast Region Headboat Survey and Marine Recreational Information Program before announcing dates each year for Florida’s south Atlantic red snapper season, which include guidance for the commercial sector. Harvest dates for commercial red snapper fishing in south Atlantic waters opened on July 8 and were set to close Jan. 1, 2025, “or when NOAA Fisheries projects that the commercial catch limit has been met, whichever occurs first,” the website states.
The 2024 recreational red snapper season, however, lasted only one day in July this year.
Not only was the recreational 2024 south Atlantic red snapper season just one-day long, but the recreational bag limit was one fish per person while the commercial trip limit is 75 pounds gutted, per NOAA Fisheries’ website.
Whereas the south Atlantic red snapper season was about as brief as it can get for recreational anglers, Florida’s 2024 private recreational Gulf red snapper season opened June 1 and ran consecutively until July 31.
This season applies to recreational anglers fishing from private vessels in Florida Gulf state and federal waters. For-hire operations that do not have a federal reef fish permit may also participate in the season but are limited to fishing for red snapper in Florida Gulf state waters only.
FWC | Gulf Recreational Red Snapper (excerpt)
From here however, after opening for five weekends in September and three so far in October, the recreational Gulf season will reopen during the following dates:
- Oct. 25–27
- Nov. 1–3
- Nov. 8–11 (Veterans Day Weekend)
- Nov. 15–17
- Nov. 22–24
- Nov. 28–30 (Thursday through Saturday of Thanksgiving Weekend)
Read more from NOAA Fisheries and FWC.
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