November 14, 2025
MURRELLS INLET, S.C.

After decades of federal mismanagement, South Carolina has taken a decisive step toward state management of Atlantic red snapper. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) Director Dr. Tom Mullikin, alongside State Senator Stephen Goldfinch (R-Georgetown), announced today that SCDNR submitted an Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) proposal to the U.S. Department of Commerce and NOAA Fisheries seeking a 61‑ or 62‑day season and the authority to manage the recreational fishery starting in 2026. The South Carolina Boating & Fishing Alliance (SCBFA) and Coastal Conservation Association South Carolina (CCA SC) praised the move as the most significant development for offshore anglers in 20+ years.

The permit, signed by SCDNR Deputy Director for Marine Resources Blaik Keppler and Regional Fisheries Manager Amy Dukes, follows years of coordination among state leaders, industry stakeholders, and conservation partners.

It also aligns South Carolina with Florida, which announced a 39-day proposal on Monday, as well as Georgia and North Carolina, which all submitted similar EFPs early this week.

The shared goal: restore access to one of the region’s most prized – and plentiful – fisheries by replacing the broken federal system with responsive, state-led management.

“This proposal is a game-changer for South Carolina anglers,” said Sen. Goldfinch. “We’ve made the case, and I fully expect the Trump Administration and Secretary Lutnick to recognize South Carolina’s readiness to lead. The days of one-size-fits-all federal mismanagement are coming to an end. It’s time for local control, better data, real access and opportunity.”

President Donald Trump previously signaled support for state snapper reform at his SCBFA Presidential Visit at Sportsman Boats in Summerville, S.C. on September 25, 2023, and by approving similar proposals in the Gulf of America in his first term, which led to successful transition to state control. The President pledged at the Summerville event to “rescind and revise absurd restrictions on recreational fishing, including red snapper and bottom fishing [in the South Atlantic].”

South Carolina’s congressional delegation, including Congressman Russell Fry (R-Surfside Beach) in his role co-chairing the South Atlantic Red Snapper Task Force, has worked closely with members of Congress to advance the State’s push for local control.

“For too long, our anglers and fishers have been limited by federal rules built on bad data,” said Congressman Fry. “With this state-led proposal, South Carolina has a real opportunity to reclaim access and apply modern, local science to management. I’m proud to serve on the South Atlantic Red Snapper Task Force and support efforts that put our anglers and coastal economy first.”

SCDNR submitted the formal EFP request November 10, 2025, in response to President Trump’s Executive Order 14276, “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” The proposed permit would allow a 61- or 62-day recreational red snapper season in 2026, replacing the federal mini seasons (of one or two days) that have frustrated anglers for years. All trips under the EFP will require mandatory electronic reporting through a mobile app, and harvest limits will mirror existing state regulations – one fish per person with a 20‑inch minimum size limit – a framework Senator Goldfinch championed in 2022.

SCDNR’s EFP sharply rebukes the federal data-gathering system, Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP), calling it unreliable for red snapper management. According to the application, “MRIP does not provide reliable catch estimates for red snapper landings or discards due to the narrow seasonal openings for harvest versus multi-month wave data collection design, resulting in low intercept rates of anglers and high percent standard errors (PSEs).” The EFP cites years with no available data; notes that PSEs for South Carolina landings have exceeded 50 percent in nearly every year since 1981, and states plainly that MRIP “is not a reliable source for monitoring in-season landings or annual discards of red snapper off the South Carolina coast.”

The state’s pilot program would test the ability of modern, state-run data systems to monitor harvests in real time and evaluate whether longer seasons can reduce risky “derby-style” fishing. That issue was highlighted in a bipartisan letter led by State Representative Lee Hewitt (R-Murrells Inlet) and signed by 17 lawmakers in July, following yet another year in which federal mini seasons coincided with hazardous offshore weather. South Carolina’s plan is modeled after the Gulf States’ successful transition to state management and echoes the growing demand across the South Atlantic for more local control federal waters fisheries.

“Director Mullikin and his team have shown a keen vision and tremendous leadership in answering the call for reform,” said Gettys Brannon, President & CEO of SCBFA. “This proposal is a turning point that reflects years of groundwork and a clear shift toward smarter, state-led fisheries management.”

Under the jurisdiction of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and NOAA Fisheries, Atlantic red snapper has become the antithesis of common sense… contradicting all scientific rigor to bar access to America’s public resources. Despite data showing a healthier stock than in any time in recorded history, federal fisheries managers have been reluctant to provide anglers opportunity to harvest widely popular species.

“Today is a huge step forward for South Carolina recreational anglers regarding access and for advancing a state data collection and management process that is much more nimble and responsive to red snapper management scenarios” said CCA South Carolina Executive Director, Scott Whitaker. “We look forward to working with the State on the implementation of this plan to enhance public access, provide valuable scientific data, and improve long-term fishery sustainability.”

“From North Carolina to Florida, the fishing public is thrilled with the leadership of their state marine fisheries managers this week,” said Center for Sportfishing Policy President Jeff Angers. “These Exempted Fishing Permits promise a hopeful future for the fish, the fishermen and coastal communities. South Atlantic red snapper is a plentiful resource, and state management will ensure access and opportunity for all anglers in the region. Kudos to SCDNR for their leadership.”

The proposal has strong backing from elected officials at every level. Over the past year, governors, including South Carolina’s Henry McMaster, attorneys general, and congressional delegations from all four South Atlantic states have publicly backed transferring red snapper management to state control. Just last month, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson led a multistate letter urging federal officials to approve state-led management and reject the flawed federal data models.

SCDNR submitted its EFP to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Monday. If approved, South Carolina could implement a state-managed red snapper season beginning in 2026.