Access to red snapper in South Carolina waters could improve with new legislation

A little over a year ago, in January, 2021, Stephen Goldfinch was throwing a cast net for bait in 20 feet of water about two miles off Bull Island, located just northeast of Charleston.

“I was looking for something the trout would eat, there’s a bunch of trout on that spot in January,” said Goldfinch earlier this week.

On one throw of the net, Goldfinch knew he had captured more than just baitfish. As he pulled the thrashing net to the surface, he noticed a flash of red in it.

When it reached the surface, he was genuinely surprised, if not shocked, at what he saw. When the net hit the deck, Goldfinch realized he had caught a genuine American red snapper, a species supposedly rarely found in such shallow depths along the South Carolina and Southeast coast.

“I thought it was a beeliner (vermilion snapper) when I saw the red coming up, but then I realized it was an American (red snapper),” recalled Goldfinch, who incredibly also caught a pair of 10-pound sheepshead in the same throw of the net.

Upon further inspection, Goldfinch estimated the red snapper was about 18 inches in length and weighed 7-8 pounds. The fish was released as has been mandated by NOAA Fisheries in the South Atlantic Region since 2010.

Regulation of the species

Nearly 13 years ago, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) determined the South Atlantic red snapper stock was overfished and undergoing overfishing. The fishery was closed in 2010 with a 35-year rebuilding plan put in place.

Ever since, red snapper have been virtually inaccessible for recreational anglers in South Atlantic waters which stretch from North Carolina southward through the east coast of Florida.

Save for occasional mini-seasons ranging from three to nine days in some, but not all, of those years, anglers have been forced to release red snapper.

As the numbers and size of red snapper have increased over the past dozen years, so has frustration among recreational anglers not only in South Carolina but throughout the South Atlantic Region.

Red snapper are almost exclusively caught in federal waters (3-200 miles offshore), typically in depths of about 60-120 feet off South Carolina. The reef species is very susceptible to barotrauma, which occurs when the rapid change in pressure as fish are reeled in causes the gases in the fish’s body to expand.

When a red snapper does not survive barotrauma and typically floats away on the surface to die or get eaten, it is considered a dead discard.

Despite the closure, incidental catches of the burgeoning red snapper population has resulted in so many dead discards that, combined with the fish harvested during the short mini-seasons, the annual catch limit (ACL) has been exceeded in most years.

In short, despite the huge increase in the abundance of the species, anglers remain unable to harvest red snapper and there appears to be no resolution in the near future.

Fisheries mismanagement?

About a year after his amazing cast-net experience, Goldfinch, a South Carolina state senator (R-Murrells Inlet), took action.

In January, Goldfinch and fellow Sen. George E. “Chip” Campsen III (R-Charleston) introduced legislation that would establish limits enabling anglers to harvest red snapper caught in South Carolina state waters, from 0 to 3 miles offshore.

If approved, the bill would put into effect a year-round season on red snapper in state waters with a daily bag limit of two per person and a minimum size limit of 20 inches. The legislation would not include federal waters.

There is precedent for such a move in other Southeastern states. Florida and Georgia already allow harvest of red snapper in state waters, meaning if Goldfinch’s bill is approved, three of the four states in the South Atlantic Region would allow harvest of red snapper in state waters.

Goldfinch, an avid diver, spear-fisherman and angler, says the federal handling of the species spurred him to introduce the legislation.

“It’s been fisheries mismanagement at its worst,” said Goldfinch. “There’s no other way to describe (red snapper) right now than overpopulated.”

Goldfinch’s thoughts are shared by other observers of the saga of the red snapper’s management in federal waters.

“Statistically, and traditionally, we may not catch many red snapper in South Carolina state waters,” said Scott Whitaker, executive director for the South Carolina Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA SC). “But if the current situation is the best that can be done after more than a decade of effort then it may be time to re-evaluate how we manage this fishery. Taken in conjunction with what other South Atlantic states have implemented, we think this bill permits the state to act within its purview and sets the stage to explore other options.”

Expanding Population

Observations by fishermen and divers all tell the same story — there are prolific numbers of red snapper in the 60-120 foot depth range off South Carolina.

And the species is called snapper for a reason. Red snapper are voracious feeders and will take most any cut or live bait without hesitation.

Anglers fishing a bottom spot with numerous red snapper present can struggle to get a bait down to species that actually can be harvested such as vermilion snapper, black sea bass and grouper. Adult red snapper are big fish, commonly weighing from 15-30 pounds, and also prey on other reef species.

Capt. Eric Heiden has been fishing South Carolina waters for 60 of his 86 years aboard Heiden Seek, and has specialized in reef, or bottom, fishing.

“The bottom line to me is the red snapper are eating up all the other fish, they’re starting to be the bad guys in the ocean,” said Heiden. “I’m really frustrated about the legal end of what they’ve done with our fish. They need to open it up and get rid of some of them.”

Heiden has a special spot located about 30 miles off Georgetown’s Winyah Bay. Heiden and crew, including Capt. Henry Anderson, have seen the red snapper all but take over the bottom spot.

“There are too many now,” said Heiden. “My spot, we catch on an average bottom fishing day, about 10 red snapper weighing about 20 pounds. Those are big fish and probably one-quarter of them never live. When we leave to go home the surface is littered with red snapper floating belly up even though we use the (required) descending device.”

Goldfinch even considers red snapper an invasive species considering their impact on other desirable reef species. In addition, they appear to be expanding their range to more shallow reef areas.

“The problem is they have become akin to an invasive species,” said Goldfinch. “They’re so thick offshore they have begun pushing inshore. (The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources) has testified that they have multiple reports of red snapper being caught within three miles. I don’t see that as a good thing.

“They’ve almost eaten all of our black sea bass. I have noted a marked decrease in black sea bass in the last few years — they have eaten them out of house and home. My concern is that is going to be a threat to flounder, sheepshead, (as they expand to shallower reefs).”

Whitaker is concerned there doesn’t appear to be a pending improvement in anglers’ access to red snapper in federal waters despite the evidence the species’ numbers have dramatically increased since 2010.

“There is no question (anglers) have been and continue to be energetic participants in taking the difficult steps needed to get the species back on the right path and we have been extraordinarily patient as this fishery has recovered,” said Whitaker.

“But there doesn’t seem to be a light at the end of the management tunnel regarding expanding access to red snapper.”

This story was originally published February 22, 2022 at 7:13 AM with the headline "Access to red snapper in South Carolina waters could improve with new legislation."