The South Atlantic Bite

Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel Meets October 6–8

The Council’s Snapper Grouper Advisory Panel (AP) will meet October 6–8 in Charleston, SC. The AP will advise on various prominent Council topics, including commercial management measures and commercial discard monitoring, headboat vessel limits and Golden Tilefish catch levels, mutton and yellowtail snapper, and black sea bass on-demand pots. Webinar registration and agenda details can be found here: https://safmc.net/events/oct-2026-snapper-grouper-ap-meeting/

SAFMC Seminar Series: Using App Data to Explore Recreational Fishing Worldwide

The next SAFMC Seminar Series presentation, “Using App Data to Investigate the Global Distribution of Marine Recreational Fishing,” will be held October 13 from 1–2:30 p.m. via webinar. The study uses more than 1 million catches recorded through a popular fishing app in 184 countries from 2011–2023 to examine where and what people fish for around the world. Researchers identified recreational fishing hotspots and explored how app-based data could help quantify and value marine recreational fishing, while also discussing the limitations of the approach and validation needs. Register for the seminar here: https://safmc.net/events/seminar-series-using-app-data-to-investigate-the-global-distribution-of-marine-recreational-fishing/

Councils Gather Feedback on Mutton and Yellowtail Snapper

The Gulf and South Atlantic Fishery Management Councils are developing a joint amendment to modify catch levels for mutton and yellowtail snapper, jurisdictional apportionment of the acceptable biological catch, stock catch limits for each region, and South Atlantic sector allocations and annual catch limits. Recent stock assessments indicated that both stocks were healthy as of 2023, with evidence of northward range expansion. The Councils will hold a virtual public hearing October 20 at 6 p.m. ET, with written comments due October 23. Register here: https://safmc.net/events/oct-2026-public-hearings-snapper-grouper-amendment-44/

Federal Red Snapper Season Set for Early October

The 2026 federal recreational red snapper season will open at 12:01 a.m. on October 9 and close at 12:01 a.m. on October 12. The recreational bag limit is one per person per day, with no minimum size limit. Additionally, NOAA Fisheries has issued Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs) to Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina that authorize eligible participants to harvest recreational red snapper under extended seasons from October 9–22. The EFPs allow the states to pilot test state-specific data collection and management strategies. For more information and background on the EFPs, check out the fishery bulletin here: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/NCDEQ/bulletins/42c0150

NOAA Seeks Comments on Two South Atlantic Actions

NOAA Fisheries is accepting public comments on two South Atlantic actions. Coral Amendment 11/Shrimp Amendment 12 would establish a 14.10-square-nautical-mile shrimp fishery access area along the eastern boundary of the northern extension of the Oculina Bank Habitat Area of Particular Concern, allowing permitted rock shrimp vessels to bottom trawl in an area that was historically fished. Comments are due November 17, 2026: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USNOAAFISHERIES/bulletins/42b7520  

NOAA is also seeking comments on a proposed rule implementing Snapper Grouper Regulatory Amendment 37 for black sea bass. The proposal would establish annual catch targets, revise accountability measures, create a February–March spawning closure for both commercial and recreational sectors, and reduce the recreational bag limit from seven to three fish per person per day. Comments are due October 22, 2026: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USNOAAFISHERIES/bulletins/42c0003