The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries and NOAA Fisheries announced that the commercial harvest of red snapper in state and federal waters of the South Atlantic was closed on August 18, 2023. All sales and purchases of red snapper will be prohibited during the commercial closure. 

The North Carolina Proclamation FF23-053 states that “it is unlawful to possess red snapper taken from waters under the jurisdiction of North Carolina or the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. Unless specified otherwise, the fishery will re-open July 8, 2024.”

According to NOAA’s Fisheries Bulletin FB23-053 all harvest of possession of red snapper in or from South Atlantic federal waters is now prohibited, as the recreational fishing season is also closed for 2023.

The 2023 commercial catch limit was set at 124,815 pounds, and commercial landed were projected to reach the limit by Aug. 18. Accountability measures stated that harvests were to close to prevent the limit from being exceeded.

The 2024 catch limit remains the same as 2023, and will re-open the set date of July 8, unless specified by fisheries management.

Find more information on South Atlantic Fishing Seasonal Closures on the NOAA Fisheries website.