Red Snapper

Oct. 8, 2019

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Fall recreational red snapper season in Gulf starts this weekend

The red snapper season for private recreational anglers and state for-hire operations in the Gulf of Mexico will be open on the following Saturdays and Sundays: Oct. 12, 13, 19, 20, 26 and 27.

Private recreational anglers may harvest red snapper in Gulf state and federal waters. However, state for-hire operations are limited to fishing for red snapper in Gulf state waters only.

These additional days would not be possible without the Gulf Reef Fish Survey. The Gulf Reef Fish Survey was developed specifically to provide more robust data for management of red snapper and other important reef fish, and has allowed FWC the unprecedented opportunity to manage Gulf red snapper in state and federal waters.

Planning to participate in the fall season? Don’t forget to continue the success of the Gulf Reef Fish Survey. All anglers fishing from private recreational vessels must sign up as Gulf Reef Fish Angler to target red snapper and several other reef fish in Gulf state and federal waters (excluding Monroe County), even if they are exempt from fishing license requirements. Sign up as a Gulf Reef Fish Angler at no cost at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com or by visiting any location you can purchase a license.

Gulf Reef Fish Anglers may receive a questionnaire in the mail regarding their reef fish trips as part of Florida’s Gulf Reef Fish Survey. If you receive a survey, please respond whether you fished this season or not or whether you’ve submitted data via other methods such as the iAngler app mention below.

Anglers can also share catch information with FWC electronically using the Angler Action Foundation’s iAngler smartphone app. This app is available on your phone’s app store by searching for iAngler Gulf Red Snapper for private anglers or iAngler Gulf Red Snapper Charter if you are a charter operation. By using iAngler to log catches during red snapper season and beyond, anglers can provide FWC researchers with valuable insights about their trips.

State for-hire operations must have State Gulf Reef Fish Charter on their license to target red snapper and other reef fish in Gulf state waters (excluding Monroe County). This can be done at no cost at a local tax collector’s office.

To learn more about the recreational red snapper season in Gulf state and federal waters, including season size and bag limits, visit MyFWC.com/Marine and click on “Recreational Regulations” and “Snappers,” which is under the “Regulations by Species – Reef Fish” tab.

The federal season for for-hire operations with federal reef fish permits was June 1 through Aug. 1