South Carolina anglers can fish for red snapper in federal waters Oct. 9-22 after a legal challenge canceled the planned summer season. Each person may keep one fish a day, at least 20 inches long; the statewide catch limit is 8,695 fish.
South Carolina fishing-license holders can apply for a free snapper permit starting Oct. 2. Participating anglers use an app to declare trips and report catches; improving data on the species is the permit’s primary purpose.
Gettys Brannon, CEO of the South Carolina Boating and Fishing Alliance, said the extended season would improve scientific understanding of the fishery. State Rep. Lee Hewitt, who has written to NOAA in support of an exempted permit, called the season a “shot in the arm” for the local economy.
