Red Snapper Fishing Set to Reopen after 2.5-year Moratorium

Press Releases and Statements Read time:

Navigate to:

  • Table of Contents
Red Snapper Fishing Set to Reopen after 2.5-year Moratorium

Pew supports limited fishing as species begins recovery

Holly Binns, a project director for the Pew Environment Group, issued the following statement today in response to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council's vote to allow limited red snapper fishing in the South Atlantic from North Carolina to Florida.

“This is welcome news for fishermen, who can once again target a favorite catch. Red snapper is in better shape today because of the measures taken to save it.”

“The moratorium was always a last resort and a temporary stopgap to give the critically depleted species a needed break. Now we must be vigilant that overfishing does not happen again. Fishery managers must carefully monitor amounts of catch to avoid exceeding limits that are necessary to bring this valuable fish back.”

“This good news is tempered by the fact that the fish still have a long way to go. The population had plummeted to between 11 and 14 percent of a healthy level, and full recovery will take years. But lifting the moratorium is an early sign that the long-term rebuilding plan is working. And it suggests that if we stick with the program, red snapper can rebound.”

For more details about red snapper and the long-term rebuilding plan, see our fact sheet.

Related Experts
Holly Binns
Holly Binns Director
U.S. Conservation
America’s Overdose Crisis
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Quick View
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
RELATED
Topics
Ocean Conservation
Experts
Holly Binns
Places
South Atlantic

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

A large group of people in formal or traditional attire stands together on a stage, with a digital background depicting marine life and the large text “WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.”

Article

April 10, 2024 WTO Needs to Redouble Its Effort on Fishing Subsidies
A man in a winter hat and sunglasses kneels on a rocky shoreline in front of a campfire, holding a metal mug with gloved hands. Behind him, in the water, a motorboat is moored to the shore. Cliffs rise on both sides of the water.

Article

April 4, 2024 Why Newfoundland’s South Coast Fjords Are Sacred
A landscape with mountains and clouds. BLM Rule Puts Conservation, Other Land Uses on Equal Footing

MORE FROM PEW

A presentation being given by a businesswoman to a group of participants at a business conference. Four Plan Features Can Boost 'Retirement Readiness'
An illustration of a couple holding hands walking away from an outline of houses behind them Pathways to Homeownership: Housing in America
A photograph of City Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia to Address Pressing Policy Challenges
A bright blue T-cell infected by HIV is engulfed by hundreds of yellow virions. Pew Researcher Seeks to Crack Code on HIV Cure
Composite image of modern city network communication concept

Learn the Basics of Broadband from Our Limited Series

Sign up for our four-week email course on Broadband Basics
Quick View

How does broadband internet reach our homes, phones, and tablets? What kind of infrastructure connects us all together? What are the major barriers to broadband access for American communities?

Pills illustration
Pills illustration

What Is Antibiotic Resistance—and How Can We Fight It?

Sign up for our four-week email series The Race Against Resistance.
Quick View
Pills illustration

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, also known as “superbugs,” are a major threat to modern medicine. But how does resistance work, and what can we do to slow the spread? Read personal stories, expert accounts, and more for the answers to those questions in our four-week email series: Slowing Superbugs.