The Honorable Howard Lutnick
Secretary
Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, D.C 20230

Dear Secretary Lutnick:

I write today regarding the importance of recreational fishing off the coast of South Carolina and the federal management of our saltwater fisheries.

In the final days of the Biden administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) advanced a sweeping change (Amendment 59) to the management of red snapper in the South Atlantic. This change imposes additional restrictions on South Carolina anglers and shortens an already short fishing season for red snapper, which further undermines public confidence in the federal government’s management of fisheries off our coast.

South Carolina’s recreational fishing and boating industries generate more than $6.5 billion in annual economic impact. Our state is home to more than 725,000 licensed anglers, almost 500,000 registered boats and more than 640 businesses that depend on healthy marine access. Additional restrictions by NOAA on recreational fishing off South Carolina’s coast are an increasing threat to our state’s economy.

I ask that you give thoughtful consideration to reversing NOAA’s restrictions on red snapper fishing in the South Atlantic and remove the barriers to offshore recreational fishing they create.