{"id":12503,"date":"2026-06-05T15:31:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T15:31:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=12503"},"modified":"2026-06-05T15:31:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T15:31:50","slug":"fishermen-prepared-for-the-longest-red-snapper-season-in-recent-memory-a-court-order-stopped-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=12503","title":{"rendered":"Fishermen prepared for the longest red snapper season in recent memory. A court order stopped it"},"content":{"rendered":"

By JOSHUA GOODMAN, HELEN WIEFFERING and SHELBY LUM<\/strong><\/p>\n

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (AP) \u2014 Miles from shore, Chris Kemp pumps and reels as he battles a fish 150 feet below. Eventually, it gives up, and the 10-pound red snapper is hauled aboard the Jodie Lynn II.<\/p>

Read more Graham Platner to hold Maine rally with Rep. Ro Khanna as scandals shake up campaign<\/a><\/p>\n

There\u2019s barely time to rejoice. As Kemp raises his trophy for a picture, the charter boat\u2019s captain rushes over and then drives a knifelike tool into the fish\u2019s gas-filled bladder. The procedure, required by federal law, is intended to improve the fish\u2019s chances of survival after release.<\/p>\n

\u201cSend it overboard,\u201d orders the captain. And with that, Kemp\u2019s hopes of bringing the fish home to eat was lost.<\/p>\n

Recreational fishermen like Kemp are pitched against commercial fishermen and environmentalists in a legal dispute that has halted what was expected to be the longest snapper season in years, reflecting broader tensions over the Trump administration\u2019s efforts to loosen fishing rules and deregulate the seas.<\/p>\n

As part of those efforts, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in May exempted states from some restrictions under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the landmark law that guides fisheries management. But the decision was halted at the last minute by a federal judge in Washington who blocked the plan.<\/p>\n

The Atlantic red snapper is known for both its fighting ability and popularity at the dinner table. After decades of overfishing, regulators in 2010 restricted recreational fishing to only a handful of days each year \u2014 when not banned altogether.<\/p>\n

Starting last year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis led a charge with officials in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina to take over management of the recreational Atlantic snapper fishery, casting the effort as guaranteeing anglers\u2019 \u201cGod-given right to fish.\u201d<\/p>

\n<\/div>\n

In May, NOAA issued special permits exempting the states from some legal requirements to protect fish. Instead of imposing wholesale fishing bans on bottom fishing each winter, as NOAA had proposed last year, the agency set up an Atlantic snapper season in four states ranging from 39 to 62 days, allowing anglers to keep one fish per day.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were excited,\u201d said Kemp, who booked a charter to coincide with the season\u2019s opening day.<\/p>\n

Court battle pits recreational anglers against commercial fishermen<\/h4>\n

The conflict landed in court just before the season was about to begin May 22, and U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras issued an injunction based in part on environmental concerns. He relied on estimates from the nonprofit Ocean Conservancy suggesting recreational catches could reach up to 485,000 in Florida alone during the expanded season \u2014 20 times the number of landed catch allowed.<\/p>\n

Kemp learned about the judge\u2019s order from a text message sent by a friend while driving to the marina.<\/p>

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\u201cOriginally we thought it was a joke, given the severity,\u201d said Kemp.<\/p>\n

The ruling sparked immediate backlash. Florida wildlife officials denounced the decision as the work of a \u201crogue federal judge,\u201d while some fishermen involved in the lawsuit reported receiving threats after DeSantis falsely accused them of trying to commandeer the quota all for themselves.<\/p>

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One of the plaintiffs, North Carolina fisherman Jeff Oden, said commercial fishermen are struggling to survive amid rising costs and competition from imported seafood. He worries that expanded recreational harvests could leave too few snapper available when the commercial season begins later this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re vanishing,\u201d Oden said. \u201cYou as a consumer, you\u2019re the loser.\u201d<\/p>\n