Red Snapper Act of 2025

This bill aims to prevent the Secretary of Commerce from issuing specific fishing regulations in the South Atlantic. It prohibits any interim or final rule, or Secretarial Amendment, that would impose area or bottom closures for species managed under the Snapper-Grouper Fishery Management Plan. The prohibition is conditional, remaining in effect until two key requirements are met. First, the South Atlantic Great Red Snapper Count study must be completed. Second, the data from this study must be fully integrated into the subsequent South Atlantic red snapper stock assessment carried out after the bill's enactment. This ensures that future management decisions are based on the most current and comprehensive scientific data available. Congress finds that fishing is a significant economic driver in the South Atlantic, with red snapper being a highly valued species. Despite perceived record abundance and recovery by some, options for reducing out-of-season encounters and mortalities have included broad area closures, raising economic concerns. The bill emphasizes the importance of incorporating new, independently funded survey data into stock assessments to better inform fishery management decisions.