VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A federal injunction is blocking local anglers from taking tourists on charter fishing trips. Charter fishing companies were getting that news just hours before Florida’s newly expanded red snapper season was set to start.
The commercial fishing industry is behind the lawsuit. The Southeastern Fisheries Association believes the decision was based on politics rather than science and could hurt the commercial fishing industry in the long run.
In Volusia County, the last-minute news is already impacting the local economy after hundreds of charter companies had to cancel trips for thousands of customers on Friday.
Volusia County anglers spent thousands of dollars on supplies for what was going to be a 39-day Red Snapper Season. It’s the first time the South Atlantic season has been more than a day or two in almost two decades.
“It’s just going to be a loss in income, and now it’s questionable where we’re going to find replacement income from to replace all these trips,” said Captain Melissa Leone from Daytona Beach Fishing Charters.
Leone is already feeling the effects of the abrupt pause on the season, but she said it will impact more than just local charters.
“We have a catch and cook restaurant that probably has reservations that won’t be fulfilled tonight, and there’s lodging. I doubt people can get refunds on their travel plans,” said Leone.
On May 1 President Donald Trump extended the season, opening permits for Florida Georgia and the Carolinas, giving states the power to manage their own snapper population. The Southeastern Fisheries Association is suing the federal government over that decision.
“The commercial sector is not after the recreational fisheries,” said Executive Director Bob Zales.
Zales agrees with local anglers that the snapper population is more abundant than ever, but worries an open season will lead to overfishing.
“And so while these people might have the 39 and 62 days to fish this year, it very well could be that next year, they’re not fishing at all and in that process, the commercial sector which is our prime concern, they would simply be put out of business,” said Zales.
This decision does not impact commercial fishing companies at all so far. It’s not clear when the snapper season could open back up. Right now, it’s all on pause until the judge makes a decision.
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