CCA SC applauds wise stewardship proposal regarding red drum

Columbia, S.C. – Coastal Conservation Association South Carolina (CCA SC) applauds the introduction this week of S.961, a bill that has at its root the sustainability of South Carolina’s most sought after inshore gamefish, red drum. Charleston Senator Chip Campsen’s proposal comes on the heels of last year’s state and regional stock assessment by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASFMC), confirming the species is being overfished and overfishing is occurring; two distinctions in fisheries management reserved for a troubled stock. The measure, if adopted, would reduce the recreational creel limit for red drum from two fish to one fish per person per day and shift the current slot limit (15-23 inches) to 18-25 inches. The measure would also adjust the boat limit from six fish to two.

“The management of red drum in the Palmetto State has consistently been a story about proper stewardship,” said Tombo Milliken, Chairman of CCA SC’s Government Relations Committee. “Recreational anglers have demonstrated again and again that acting in the long-term interest of the resource has always been the desired course. Support for this proposal in front of us now confirms that commitment”.

Over the last 16-18 months, both the SCDNR and the ASMFC ran concurrent red drum benchmark stock assessments, the results of which have been made available and shared with the public. Red drum are regionally managed in cooperation with the ASMFC via a fishery management plan that allows the states flexibility in setting their plan specifics (size limits, creel limits, seasons, etc.) while meeting certain criteria. The ASMFC plan kept in place a key management goal of a regional spawning potential ratio (SPR) of 40 percent for the species. That rate has fluctuated for more than two decades in South Carolina waters and has fallen to a low of approximately 14 percent in 2023; a number that should be truly alarming to all anglers. South Carolina has encountered low numbers in the past, sparking change as far back as 2001. With the cooperation of decision makers, fisheries managers, and the recreational angling public, state management measures were pursued that emphasized red drum restoration while still maintaining a viable fishery for South Carolina’s recreational fishing community.

“We have reached an inflection point in the management of red drum and clearly, we need to do what is in the best interest for the long-term stability of this valuable resource,” said Scott Whitaker, CCA SC executive director. “This is a responsible stewardship action to take given the most recent science, the ubiquitous challenges of the fishery, and the reverence this species holds among anglers in the state”.

The South Atlantic red snapper fishery has been a frustrating debacle for anglers for well more than a decade. Despite a population that has been declared the most robust in recent history, recreational seasons have been measured in days…sometimes a single day. In 2025, the season was just two days and NOAA Fisheries was promoting plans to close the bottom in some areas to prevent any take of red snapper, even as bycatch!

Recognizing the flaws with federal management of red snapper, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina submitted proposals for Exempted Fishing Permits (EFP). The permits would allow the states to test data collection and management improvements that would significantly increase recreational access to Atlantic red snapper this year, with Florida planning a 39-day season while the other states propose 62-day seasons.

NOAA Fisheries has opened a public comment period for these EFP proposals. This gives anglers the chance to leave feedback in support of these proposals and explain how their communities would benefit from them. Click the Take Action button to be taken to the comment page, and feel free to use the talking points below to add to your own views and experience in lending your support to these state management proposals:

• I support approval of the South Atlantic state EFPs to test data collection and management strategies for Atlantic red snapper.
• The Atlantic red snapper population is the healthiest it has been in decades. The EFPs would help break the cycle of extreme access limitations for this abundant fishery while testing much needed data collection improvements.
• Federal management of red snapper has been based on inaccurate catch and effort estimates from the Marine Recreational Information Program, which is ineffective for tracking Atlantic red snapper catches.
• The states propose recreational data collection improvements that would provide critical baseline data to better inform future management decisions.
• Longer recreational red snapper seasons better balance conservation with harvest opportunities and will benefit anglers by significantly increasing harvest opportunities compared to NOAA’s two-day season in 2025.

The comment period ends March 10 so please act now and spread the word to your fishing family members and friends!