An official website of the State of Georgia.
Posted Sep. 8, 2025
Coastlines Georgia | August 2025 | Vol. 8, Iss. 1
An angler holds a red drum in this undated file
photo by David Cannon.
By Tyler Jones
Public Information Officer
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Sciaenids Management Board met Aug. 5 and took a major step toward updating how red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) are managed along the Atlantic Coast.
The Board agreed to send a draft plan—called Draft Addendum II—out for public comment in late August. If the schedule holds, final decisions could come in October.
The draft addendum looks at five areas where the Board may change or clarify the rules. First, it allows states to bring forward their own, data-based regulation packages—things like bag limits, slot sizes, or vessel limits—so long as those packages meet the overall conservation goals. Second, it sets up a way for states to propose new methods to estimate fishing pressure between the scheduled stock assessments. Third, it would spell clear conservation targets for states to meet to ensure the conservation of the stock. The draft amendement also updates “de minimis” provisions so low-harvest states have stable rules from year to year.
Here’s what that means in plain language: The Board wants to make sure fishing rules actually keep enough red drum in the water to spawn and keep the population healthy. Fishing level thresholds and targets have been defined as a means to guide states in regulation developmen. It does not change the biology behind those targets; it simply makes the management requirement clearer.
The draft also opens the door for states to be more flexible, as long as they can show their approach works. Under a new “alternative management” section, a state could propose different combinations of bag limits, slot sizes, or seasons that fit local conditions. A technical committee would review the analysis. If a state already tightened rules after the last assessment year, the Board could credit those real-world cuts using catch estimates.
Another change would allow states to propose new ways to estimate fishing pressure outside the normal assessment cycle. Right now, the Commission typically accepts new methods only during a benchmark assessment, which can be years apart. The Board heard that this can leave managers working with outdated tools. The draft outlines a review path: a state would submit its method and analysis, technical groups would vet it, and the Board would decide if it can be used to guide rules. Scientists warned that any new method should be consistent over time, clearly define what is being measured (for example, spawning potential or escapement), and avoid creating hotspots of overfishing in local areas. They also said managers should give new rules enough time—roughly a sub-adult generation—before deciding whether they are working.
The addendum affects the Southern region, which includes Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida, differently than the nothern region. The northern region—New Jersey through North Carolina—got special attention. Even though that region is not officially “overfished,” recent years show rising fishing pressure. The draft asks whether to raise the minimum slot size (for example, to at least 19 inches), add or adjust a maximum size, or otherwise line up rules among states, including in Chesapeake Bay. Because the data are stronger for North Carolina and Virginia, the draft includes more detail for those states. The goal is to cool off pressure where red drum have been abundant without making the rules confusing from one border to the next.
The plan also revises “de minimis” policy. De minimis is a status for states that make up only a sliver of the catch—typically less than one percent—so they are not required to change rules every time other states do. The draft gives two ways to qualify: under one percent of landings compared to the whole coast, or under one percent within the region. A review team would recommend a simple set of measures for those states, unless a state already has tougher rules on the books.
What happens next? The expected timeline is straightforward: Draft Addendum II for red drum goes to public comment in late September, with Georgia’s public hearing slated for 6 p.m., Sept. 24, at the Sapelo Saltwater Fishing Club in Townsend. The Commission could potentially take final action in October. The comment window is the key opportunity for anglers, guides, conservation groups, and coastal communities to weigh in on the core choices: whether to formalize threshold and target, how much flexibility states should have in crafting local rule sets, how to align northern-region limits to slow rising fishing pressure, and how to handle very low-harvest states through a steadier de minimis policy.
If adopted, the addendum would lock in a more explicit performance standard for red drum while opening controlled avenues for innovation. In other words, the Board would be saying: prove your local solution works, and keep it within the cap.
For readers along the coast, the takeaway is both simple and consequential. Red drum rules are heading for changes. The Board’s approach—tight guardrails where needed, flexibility where justified, and patience while new science comes in—aims to protect today’s fisheries while keeping tomorrow’s options open.
