2026 Red Drum Survey

The southern stock (SC/GA/eastFL) of Red Drum has been determined to be overfished and undergoing overfishing, according to a recent assessment conducted by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. To help recover the stock, each of the three states must review their regulations and determine necessary harvest reductions. Georgia’s current Red Drum regulations include a five fish daily creel and a 14-23 inch Total Length slot size. To reduce harvest, either the creel, the slot, or both, need to be adjusted. You can view a brief summary of harvest reduction options, view a recorded presentation, and access additional information at coastalgadnr.org/RedDrum. These provide background information the Commission used to determine the stock status and explains the five options under consideration by Georgia DNR to reduce harvest. All of these options exceed the fishing mortality reductions needed to achieve SPR management goals, and are listed in the table below. Your thoughtful review of this information and input through this survey is appreciated and helpful in determining the long-term health of this important recreational fishery. Thank you for participating.