Oh snap! Gov. DeSantis announces record-breaking length for Gulf red snapper fishing season

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Gov. Ron DeSantis says the red snapper recreational fishing season on Florida’s Gulf Coast will kick off Memorial Day weekend for the Summer and last a record-breaking 126 days throughout the rest of the year.

This year’s season will top the previous record of 103 days in 2024, DeSantis said at a press conference in Destin.

“This is a real, real big deal,” DeSantis said. “It’s good for the economy. It’s good for recreation. It’s good for culture. It’s good for all these things.”

The official start of the season begins May 24-26, then reopens June 1 to July 31, which will include the Father’s Day and July 4 holidays.

“We’ll also be adding additional fishing days in the Fall for Florida families and visitors to fish red snapper daily from Sept. 1 through the 14th, then transition to three-day weekends through the end of the year,” DeSantis said. “This includes holiday opportunities on Veterans Day, the Thursday through Sunday of Thanksgiving, and yes, even red snapper on Christmas.”

And what about red snapper in the Atlantic coast? Those fishing periods are still managed by the federal government, which DeSantis slammed for only allowing a two-day fishing window last year.

“I’ve talked to the President himself. I’ve talked to the Secretary of Commerce. We requested that we manage the red snapper in the Atlantic. We will do a good job. We will have accurate data,” DeSantis said. “I think the President’s vision is to empower the states and make sure the federal government isn’t overstepping its bounds. So we stand ready, willing and able to get that job done. We would love to see that happen sometime this year.”

DeSantis also used the press stop to urge lawmakers to renew his “freedom sales tax holiday” on fishing and Summer recreational supplies. 

“We are the No. 1 fishing and boating state in the United States by a country mile,” DeSantis said. “It’s not close. This is the place people want to be.”

DeSantis and others touted the long fishing season as having a big impact for tourists, but also for locals.

“This is highly anticipated by Floridians every single year. We know that folks from all over Northwest Florida love to do the red snapper,” DeSantis said.

Added Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Executive Director Roger Young, “I spent Summers coming here with my family through the years, and I can remember going down to Destin Harbor and getting charter boats with my grandfather and going out and fishing. … This announcement today, it’s about families being able to have those times together.”