Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic; Requests for Exempted Fishing Permits

Résumé

NMFS announces the receipt of four applications for exempted fishing permits (EFP) from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GADNR), South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), and North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (NCDMF). If issued by NMFS, each EFP would exempt the applicable state agency and participating fishermen from specific Federal regulations applicable to the recreational harvest of red snapper in the South Atlantic. The applicants each propose to pilot test state data collection and management strategies for the recreational harvest of red snapper in 2026. The outcomes of the 2026 EFPs would guide the need for, and possible refinement of, future EFP applications in 2027 and 2028. The purposes of these EFPs are to improve data on recreational fishing effort, catch, and discards of red snapper in the South Atlantic and to inform the development of a long-term state-led management strategy for the recreational red snapper fishery.