Rep. Lee Hewitt issued the following letter to NOAA Fisheries supporting the approval of an Exempted Fishing Permit, which would allow a 62 day recreational fishing season for Red Snapper off South Carolina.
February 13, 2026
Mary Vara, Sustainable Fisheries Division
NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Regional Office
263 13th Avenue South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Subject: Approval of SCDNR Exempted Fishing Permit for Red Snapper
Dear Ms. Vara,
I ask NOAA Fisheries to approve the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources’ (SCDNR) Exempted Fishing Permit for Red Snapper.
Allowing a fixed 62 day recreational harvest season for Red Snapper off South Carolina, with size and bag limits, will provide the improved data collection necessary for much more accurate stock assessments and to determine state-specific landing projections. It will also provide a needed economic boost to the recreational and for-hire fishery sectors.
Currently, with the very short, derby-style recreational Red Snapper seasons in the South Atlantic, the Marine Recreational Information Program cannot provide useful estimates of fishing effort and landings because the percentage of standard errors are so high they are unreliable and not suitable for use in managing the fishery.
It is important to note that the current stock status, based on Secretarial Amendment 59 to the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan, indicates overfishing is no longer occurring.
I represent a coastal district and I’m an avid offshore fisherman, who worked on head boats in my youth. I can personally attest to the abundance and size of Red Snapper off the South Carolina coast. These fish are being encountered in numbers and sizes that I don’t think have ever been seen off our state before. There is growing concern that these top predators are preying on other snapper-grouper species and taking over reefs.
SCDNR’s plan for requiring a Red Snapper Harvest Permit, along with required electronic trip and catch reporting, will provide the information necessary to more reliably quantify recreational catch, fishing effort and discards for Red Snapper.
SCDNR is working cooperatively with North Carolina, Georgia and Florida (East Coast), who are also seeking similar Red Snapper Exempted Fishing Permits. These proposed state-led pilot programs will test data collection methods for more accurate recreational catch, effort and discard data.
It is time to end these unnecessary and potentially dangerous one or two day derby-style Red Snapper seasons by approving SCDNR’s Exempted Fishing Permit.
Respectfully,
Representative Lee Hewitt
Click here for the SCDNR Exempted Fishing Permit application.
Click here to send a comment to NOAA in support of the SCDNR permit.