Rule2026-19456
Fisheries of the South Atlantic; 2026 South Atlantic Red Snapper Recreational Fishing Season
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
September 23, 2026
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
For the 2026 fishing year, NMFS announces the red snapper recreational fishing season dates in the South Atlantic exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Announcing the opening and closing dates of the red snapper recreational season is an accountability measure (AM) for the recreational sector and allows fishers the opportunity to harvest the recreational annual catch limit (ACL) while also managing harvest to protect the red snapper resource.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 183 (Wednesday, September 23, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 183 (Wednesday, September 23, 2026)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 60334-60335]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-19456]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 622
[Docket No. 1710319998630-02; RTID 0648-XG084]
Fisheries of the South Atlantic; 2026 South Atlantic Red Snapper
Recreational Fishing Season
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Temporary rule; recreational fishing season.
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SUMMARY: For the 2026 fishing year, NMFS announces the red snapper
recreational fishing season dates in the South Atlantic exclusive
economic zone (EEZ). Announcing the opening and closing dates of the
red snapper recreational season is an accountability measure (AM) for
the recreational sector and allows fishers the opportunity to harvest
the recreational annual catch limit (ACL) while also managing harvest
to protect the red snapper resource.
DATES: The South Atlantic red snapper 2026 recreational fishing season
opens at 12:01 a.m., local time, October 9, 2026, and closes at 12:01
a.m., local time, on October 12, 2026.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nikhil Mehta, NMFS Southeast Regional
Office, 727-824-5305, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d7b9bebcbfbebbf9bab2bfa3b697b9b8b6b6f9b0b8a1"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4826212320212466252d203c290826272929662f273e">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The South Atlantic snapper-grouper fishery
includes red snapper and is managed under the Fishery Management Plan
for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (FMP). The
FMP was prepared by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and
NMFS, was approved by the Secretary of Commerce, and is implemented by
NMFS through regulations at 50 CFR part 622 under the authority of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-
Stevens Act).
The South Atlantic red snapper recreational ACL is 22,797 fish and
the length of the recreational fishing season serves as the
recreational AM. During the red snapper recreational open fishing
season the recreational bag limit is one red snapper per person, per
day, and there is no red snapper minimum or maximum recreational size
limit.
Consistent with the regulations in 50 CFR 622.183(b)(5), for the
2026 fishing year, the red snapper recreational season opens at 12:01
a.m., local time, on October 9, 2026, and closes at 12:01 a.m., local
time, on October 12, 2026. During the recreational open fishing season,
the recreational bag limit is one red snapper per person, per day.
After the closure of the recreational sector in the South Atlantic EEZ,
the recreational bag and possession limits for red snapper are zero.
NMFS notes that the red snapper commercial sector in the South
Atlantic EEZ closed on August 24, 2026, and remains closed through
December 31, 2026 (91 FR 54246, August 21, 2026).
On August 10, NMFS announced in the Federal Register the receipt of
three applications for exempted fishing permits (EFP) from the Florida
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Georgia Department of
Natural Resources, and South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
(91 FR 51467, August 10, 2026). NMFS issued these EFPs in September
2026 and they allow participants to fish for red snapper, under the
specified terms and conditions, from October 9, 2026, through October
22, 2026. The EFPs exempt the participating fishermen from specific
Federal regulations applicable to the recreational harvest of red
snapper in the South Atlantic off their respective states. These EFPs
will allow each applicant to test a state-led data collection and
management strategy for red snapper during an extended recreational
fishing season in Federal waters off their respective state.
Participants in any of these EFP projects must land or possess
recreationally harvested red snapper under their state's respective
EFP, and cannot participate in the recreational season announced in
this temporary rule. For more information about the issued EFPs, see
<a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/recreational-fishing-data/south-atlantic-red-snapper-state-data-collection-and-management">https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/recreational-fishing-data/south-atlantic-red-snapper-state-data-collection-and-management</a>.
North Carolina did not apply for an EFP for the 2026 fishing
season. Therefore, NMFS projected the Federal red snapper recreational
season length based on North Carolina landings and catch rates from
previous years. NMFS expects the resulting 3-day Federal recreational
season to provide recreational fishing opportunities in
[[Page 60335]]
2026 while constraining overall recreational harvest of red snapper to
the recreational ACL.
Classification
NMFS issues this action pursuant to section 305(d) of the Magnuson-
Stevens Act. This action is required by 50 CFR 622.183(b)(5)(i) and
622.193(y), which were issued pursuant to section 304(b) of the
Magnuson-Stevens Act, and is exempt from review under Executive Order
12866.
Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B), there is good cause to waive prior
notice and an opportunity for public comment on this action, as notice
and comment would be unnecessary and contrary to the public interest.
Such procedures are unnecessary because the rule establishing the
requirement to announce the red snapper recreational fishing season
dates and the red snapper recreational ACL and AM has already been
subject to notice and comment, and all that remains is to notify the
public of the recreational fishing season dates. Such procedures are
contrary to the public interest because announcing the opening and
closing dates of the recreational season as soon as practicable allows
recreational sector participants and businesses to better plan their
activities to harvest red snapper.
For the aforementioned reasons, there is good cause under 5 U.S.C.
553(d)(3) to waive the 30-day delay in the effectiveness of this
action.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: September 21, 2026.
Shannon Bettridge,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2026-19456 Filed 9-21-26; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on September 23, 2026.
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