A group of Northeast Florida fishermen is voicing frustration over what they call “cronyism” in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) permit system for red snapper fishing.
The anglers, who recently sent a letter to Congressman John Rutherford, argue that the lottery system designed to allocate permits for the Atlantic Red Snapper Exempted Fishing Permit project was neither transparent nor random.
Frank Cole, one of the anglers behind the letter, expressed concerns about the selection process.
“We essentially just asked for transparency and fairness,” Cole said.
Related: US congressman sends letter urging NOAA to reconsider ‘draconian’ closures for South Atlantic red snapper seasons | Gov. DeSantis extends Gulf Red Snapper season by 17 days
The FWC’s project allows selected captains to fish and keep red snapper outside the federal one-day season, contributing data to improve fishery management. However, Cole and others claim certain captains were favored due to personal relationships with FWC officials.
The FWC responded by clarifying that one of its projects, the “Study Fleet,” is not a lottery system. It directly recruits five private recreational captains and five charter captains who applied for the project, some of whom were selected for multiple quarters.
The second program, the “Hot Spot Fleet,” operates on a lottery system but includes preference points for future selections. Lifelong angler Rick Ryals criticized this approach.
“It should have been a true lottery—everybody’s name in a hat. You get a day, you get a day. Nobody gets two days,” Ryals said.
Despite the frustrations, the FWC encourages anglers to continue applying, emphasizing the importance of collected data to potentially extend the fishing season in the future.
Rick Ryals warned that delays in action are harming local reefs.
“The vermilions are suffering. The sea bass are suffering. The baby grouper are suffering. Our reefs are now populated by sharks and red snapper,” Ryals said.
As of now, the FWC maintains its stance on the permit system and aims to refine the process over time.
An FWC spokesperson provided News4JAX with the statement below.
“The FWC shares the frustration of many Florida anglers about the current federal management and status of the red snapper fishery in the South Atlantic. Better data and management are clearly needed for Atlantic red snapper. For years, anglers have asked for ways to provide information about their fishing trips directly to FWC. This is precisely why FWC embarked on these three separate research projects, funded by NOAA Fisheries, and the details of each project can be found on our website (https://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/atlantic-red-snapper-efp/ ).
The research project these anglers applied to is called the ‘FWC Study Fleet’; FWC has already spoken directly to them regarding their concerns. Unlike the two other research projects that the public can apply for, the FWC Study Fleet is not a lottery.
FWC staff select participants directly based on various metrics, including where they are located, preferred fishing months, frequency they fish, vessel size, number of passengers they can hold, and their responses to other questions posed in the application form.
“Through these three research projects, FWC aims to provide novel, comprehensive, and valuable data to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and NOAA Fisheries to better inform the management of Atlantic red snapper and other snapper grouper fisheries. We hope that through the continued partnership between FWC and Florida’s anglers, we can improve the outlook in this economically and culturally important fishery.”
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC)
On Nov. 22, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a 17-day extension to Florida’s 2024 Gulf Red Snapper recreational fishing season, allowing families and visitors additional opportunities to fish during the holiday season. The extension compensates for fishing days lost to Hurricanes Helene and Milton earlier this year.
This extension follows the governor’s announcement in April of a record 103-day Red Snapper season and said it reflects Florida’s data-driven approach to managing its fisheries. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) confirmed the additional days will not affect next year’s season.
Updated 2024 Gulf Red Snapper Schedule:
- November 22-24
- November 28-30 (Thanksgiving Holiday)
- December 6-8
- December 13-15
- December 20-22
- December 24-31 (Christmas Eve through New Year’s Eve)