A.G. Gancarski
Florida’s Governor says the federal government may come through in expanding the red snapper season in the Atlantic.
“I think the administration is supportive of it,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said.
“I have mentioned it to the President, but I definitely mentioned it also to the Secretary of the Commerce. And I know they’re still filling out NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and they’re doing, still, all that. And there’s a lot of irons in the fire, but returning this to state management would be a home run.”
Recreational anglers got just one day in 2024, though commercial operations had from July until the end of the year.
DeSantis notes that the restrictions “predate the current administration” and show “the bureaucracy being more ideological and purpose-driven rather than evidence-based.”
DeSantis made the comments Monday at Panama City Beach’s Treasure Island Marina.
He’s made similar complaints before, including earlier this year. In February, he pleaded for a longer red snapper season in the Atlantic “just like we do in the Gulf,” saying “anglers will be really, really happy” if the Department of Commerce gives Florida its much-desired extension.
“The people are there, they see the fish. I mean, they’re there,” he said in 2024. “So why don’t we go and actually do this in a way that makes sense?”
He even made the case when he was in Congress.
“Our coastal communities up and down the east coast are just now beginning the long road of recovery after Hurricane Matthew,” said DeSantis eight years ago, during Trump’s first term. “A 2017 red snapper season would go far in bringing an influx of tourist dollars to help fuel our recovery.”
3 comments
ScienceBLVR
April 7, 2025 at 3:33 pm
Florida’s Governor says the federal government may come through in expanding the red snapper season in the Atlantic..
Now wait just a Gol Durn Minute..
Atlantic? Don’t you mean the American Ocean?
Yeah, here’s an idea .. $5000 for a one week red snapper license.. then we can drop property taxes.. yeah! How bout a tariff on red snapper? 46% and we’ll make Mexico pay for it!
woke up ready
April 8, 2025 at 8:56 am
Rona knows nothing about fishing or fish ecology and he is a damn fool to advocate for taking more red snapper. In addition, he has no respect for our hardworking FWCC marine patrol officers who risk their lives to protect and defend us; those officers are the best of all law enforcement officers, yet he doesn’t support them in trying to protect our resources. He does look cute in his white rubber boots however.
Gary C. Quincy
April 15, 2025 at 7:22 am
As a long time recreational and now commercial diver, please believe me when I tell you red snapper populations are enormous. Please realize while the commercial season is slated for six months but due to quotas it did not last four weeks last year. The only reason it lasted that long was very small daily limits. No one including myself believes the fishery does not need to be managed properly. Reliable (not biased data) needs to be imported into the equation for this to occur. I am definitely for state input of this resource control seeing as how wasteful and non accurate NOAA has become.
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