Florida's 2026 Atlantic recreational red snapper season ended Oct. 22, and anglers along the Space Coast will have to wait to learn whether a second season opens in December.

The 14-day season ran from Oct. 9 through Oct. 22 in Atlantic state and federal waters under a federal exempted fishing permit, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The FWC says it's now processing catch information "for future management decisions," and it's asking anglers to keep reporting data from this season.

When NOAA Fisheries approved the season in September, the FWC said that after reviewing data from October, it would work with NOAA Fisheries to determine whether a second season may take place in December 2026. As of Oct. 30, the FWC had not announced a decision.

How this season worked

The FWC used the season to test changes it hopes will cut down on fish that die after being released. Under the rules:

• Anglers could keep one red snapper per person per day, with no minimum size.
• Anglers on declared red snapper trips had to follow a 10-fish snapper-grouper aggregate bag limit.
• Private anglers 16 and older had to declare red snapper trips in the FWC's reporting app before leaving the dock.
• For-hire captains and crews couldn't keep red snapper.

The FWC says Atlantic red snapper are no longer considered overfished or subject to overfishing, based on the most recent stock assessments.

Anglers can check MyFWC.com/AtlanticRedSnapper for updates. Questions go to AtlanticEFP@myfwc.com or (850) 487-0554, according to the FWC.