President Donald J. Trump on Friday claimed a “huge win” for fishermen in the Southeast, announcing that federal regulators had approved state-issued permits for the 2026 recreational red snapper season — a move that shifts significant authority from federal oversight to the states.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said his administration had “officially approved ALL STATE PERMITS” for anglers in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, framing the decision as a reversal of what he described as restrictive federal policies under his predecessor.
The policy change centers on a series of exempted fishing permits (EFPs) issued through National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, allowing those four states to manage recreational red snapper fishing in both state and adjacent federal waters for the 2026 season.
The permits are not entirely new but represent an expansion of a pilot-style approach that has been under development. NOAA had previously received applications from the states to test state-based data collection and management systems for red snapper, with the goal of improving catch estimates and potentially extending fishing seasons beyond the historically short federal limits.
For years, federal regulators imposed extremely limited recreational seasons — sometimes as short as one or two days in the South Atlantic — due to uncertainty in catch data and concerns about overfishing.
Under the newly approved permits, states will be able to set longer seasons. North Carolina, for example, plans a roughly two-month season from July through August as part of the pilot program.
Supporters, including many recreational fishing groups and coastal politicians, argue the shift gives states flexibility to use more precise, real-time data and better reflect local fish populations. Trump echoed those arguments, saying anglers had been “punished with VERY short Federal fishing seasons.”
However, environmental groups and some fisheries scientists sharply criticized the decision, warning it could undermine decades of conservation efforts. The Environmental Defense Fund said the permits allow states to bypass key federal safeguards under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, potentially increasing fishing pressure on a stock that is still officially classified as overfished and under rebuilding plans.
Critics also note that NOAA’s own recent science supported extremely limited seasons, raising concerns that dramatically expanding access without strict catch limits could jeopardize long-term recovery.
The dispute reflects a long-running conflict between federal fisheries management — which relies on national quotas and precautionary limits — and coastal states that argue federal models underestimate fish populations and unnecessarily restrict access.
The 2026 season will now proceed under a hybrid system:
- States manage private recreational anglers under the EFPs,
- Federal rules still apply to certain charter and commercial sectors, including longer, quota-based seasons in the Gulf of Mexico.
Trump framed the move as part of a broader effort to decentralize fisheries management, while critics say it effectively creates a parallel system with fewer enforceable safeguards.
The outcome of the 2026 pilot programs is expected to influence whether similar state-led management approaches expand in future years.
