South Carolina Opens Comment Window on Atlantic Red Snapper Data Proposal

South Carolina red snapper anglers have a short window to speak up on a proposal that could shape how the fishery is counted and managed.

SCDNR says NOAA Fisheries has released the state’s revised Atlantic red snapper Exempted Fishing Permit application for public review. The comment period opened August 10 and closes August 25, 2026.

The revised proposal comes after SCDNR withdrew its first EFP application when it was put on hold because of litigation. The new version keeps the main point: test a different way to manage South Carolina’s Atlantic red snapper fishery while collecting better recreational harvest and effort data.

Under the proposal, South Carolina would get a recreational red snapper season in October under the EFP. Participating anglers would have mandatory trip registration and electronic catch reporting, with the goal of building timely, higher-quality information for future management decisions.

That is the fight in a nutshell. Anglers want real opportunity. Managers want defensible numbers. The worst answer is the same old cycle of tiny seasons, bad estimates, and everyone yelling after the closure drops. If anglers want better red snapper management, this is the kind of public comment window that cannot be ignored. Read it, comment on it, and make sure the people making the rules hear from the people actually fishing.