SCDNR Announces Public Comment Period for Revised Atlantic Red Snapper Exempted Fishing Permit Proposal

August 07, 2026

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) announced today that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries has released the agency's revised application for an Atlantic red snapper Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) for public review.

SCDNR encourages anglers, members of the fishing industry, conservation organizations, and other interested members of the public to review the revised EFP application and submit comments. The public comment period will open August 10th and close August 25th, 2026. The revised application and instructions for submitting comments are available here: NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments to EFP Applications.

The revised application follows SCDNR's previous decision to withdraw its original EFP proposal after it was put on hold due to litigation. Working collaboratively with NOAA Fisheries and regional partners, SCDNR revised the proposal to address questions while maintaining the EFP’s primary objective of testing and improving recreational fisheries data collection and evaluating an alternative approach to managing South Carolina's Atlantic red snapper fishery.

The proposed EFP would allow South Carolina to gain valuable baseline recreational fishing data and is designed to provide timely, high-quality harvest and effort data.

The proposed program would include:

• A recreational red snapper season for October under the authority of the EFP.
• Mandatory trip registration and electronic catch reporting by participating anglers.
• Collection of improved recreational fisheries data to help inform future management decisions.

The revised proposal reflects continued collaboration among SCDNR, NOAA Fisheries, neighboring southeastern states, recreational anglers, for-hire operators, conservation organizations, and other stakeholders interested in improving the management of Atlantic red snapper.

"South Carolina remains committed to working collaboratively with our federal and state partners and with anglers to develop better approaches for managing this important fishery," said Dr. Tom Mullikin, Director of SCDNR. "This proposal is intended to address the questions that were raised while continuing to explore innovative, science-based methods that improve recreational data collection and support sustainable fisheries management."