ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. \u2014 Miles from shore, Chris Kemp pumps and reels as he battles a fish 150 feet below. Eventually, it gives up, and the 10-pound red snapper is hauled aboard the Jodie Lynn II.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s barely time to rejoice. As Kemp raises his trophy for a picture, the charter boat\u2019s captain rushes over and then drives a knifelike tool into the fish\u2019s gas-filled bladder. The procedure, required by federal law, is intended to improve the fish\u2019s chances of survival after release.<\/p>\n
\u201cSend it overboard,\u201d orders the captain. And with that, Kemp’s hopes of bringing the fish home to eat was lost.<\/p>\n
Recreational fishermen like Kemp are pitched against commercial fishermen and environmentalists in a legal dispute that has halted what was expected to be the longest snapper season in years, reflecting broader tensions over the Trump administration’s efforts to loosen fishing rules and deregulate the seas.<\/p>\n
As part of those efforts, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration<\/a> in May exempted states from some restrictions under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the landmark law that guides fisheries management. But the decision was halted at the last minute by a federal judge in Washington who blocked the plan.<\/p>\n The Atlantic red snapper is known for both its fighting ability and popularity at the dinner table. After decades of overfishing, regulators in 2010 restricted recreational fishing to only a handful of days each year \u2014 when not banned altogether.<\/p>\n Starting last year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis led a charge with officials in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina to take over management of the recreational Atlantic snapper fishery, casting the effort as guaranteeing anglers\u2019 \u201cGod-given right to fish.\u201d<\/p>\n In May, NOAA issued special permits exempting the states from some legal requirements to protect fish. Instead of imposing wholesale fishing bans on bottom fishing each winter, as NOAA had proposed last year, the agency set up an Atlantic snapper season in four states ranging from 39 to 62 days, allowing anglers to keep one fish per day.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were excited,\u201d said Kemp, who booked a charter to coincide with the season\u2019s opening day.<\/p>\n Court battle pits recreational anglers against commercial fishermen<\/p>\n The conflict landed in court just before the season was about to begin May 22, and U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras issued an injunction based in part on environmental concerns. He relied on estimates from the nonprofit Ocean Conservancy suggesting recreational catches could reach up to 485,000 in Florida alone during the expanded season \u2014 20 times the number of landed catch allowed.<\/p>\n Kemp learned about the judge’s order from a text message sent by a friend while driving to the marina.<\/p>\n \u201cOriginally we thought it was a joke, given the severity,\u201d said Kemp.<\/p>\n The ruling sparked immediate backlash. Florida wildlife officials denounced the decision as the work of a \u201crogue federal judge,\u201d while some fishermen involved in the lawsuit reported receiving threats after DeSantis falsely accused them of trying to commandeer the quota all for themselves.<\/p>\n One of the plaintiffs, North Carolina fisherman Jeff Oden, said commercial fishermen are struggling to survive amid rising costs and competition from imported seafood. He worries that expanded recreational harvests could leave too few snapper available when the commercial season begins later this year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re vanishing,\u201d Oden said. \u201cYou as a consumer, you\u2019re the loser.\u201d<\/p>\n Stock is rebounding but scientists urge caution<\/p>\n The dispute stems in part from disagreements over the health of the fishery. NOAA estimates that roughly one-quarter of released red snapper die, despite techniques designed to improve their survival like puncturing the bladder to reduce gases that build up in their bladder when pulled up, hindering them from returning to the ocean\u2019s depths where they live.<\/p>\n Yet many fishermen argue the stock is thriving. Kemp\u2019s group hooked about a dozen fish within 40 minutes of arriving to a reef off Florida\u2019s coast.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be completely honest, we have never seen an unhealthy stock,\u201d said Haley Stephens, who with her husband operates the Sea Spirit, a charter boat in Ponce Inlet, Florida.<\/p>\n Scientists counter that the abundance of younger fish is misleading and point to biological sampling that indicates most fish being caught haven\u2019t reached the peak of their reproductive maturity.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s tricky because this is a rebuilding fish stock,\u201d said Meredith Moore, a program director at Ocean Conservancy. \u201cSo people out in the water are seeing more of the fish than they have seen in a long time, and so that gives them the sense that everything is great.\u201d<\/p>\n NOAA declined to comment on the snapper dispute, citing ongoing litigation. However, it said that it is working with fisheries managers across the country “to better prioritize work around existing resources, explore efficiencies, and streamline operations” in accordance with the “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness” executive order signed last year<\/a> by President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n The judge, in his ruling, faulted Florida and the other states for declining to provide their own harvest projections. Officials, however, argued that existing federal estimates were unreliable and would eventually be replaced with improved state-collected data.<\/p>\n Oden said he understands the frustrations of recreational anglers but believes everyone must share the burden of conservation.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s only so many fish to go around,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Wieffering reported from Washington. Serginho Roosblad contributed from Washington.<\/p>\n \u2014-<\/p>\n The Associated Press receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards<\/a> for working with philanthropies, a list<\/a> of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ST. 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