Releasing fish is part of fishing – now, it can also be your ticket to winning prize giveaways while supporting the future of the snapper grouper fishery in the South Atlantic!
From May 1 to July 31, Sea Grant invites fishermen throughout the South Atlantic region to take part in the 2026 Release Rodeo. During this exciting three-month challenge, fishermen have the opportunity to win gear and other prizes by submitting information on their released shallow water grouper and red snapper to the SAFMC Release citizen science project to help improve our understanding of the snapper grouper fishery. For each entry, participants have a chance to win gear giveaways including rods, reels, jigs, lures, descending devices, and so much more. Click here to set up an SAFMC Release account and participate.
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Why Participate?
Support the Snapper Grouper Fishery
While kept fish can be sampled at the dock, gathering data on released fish is much more challenging. As the number of released fish in South Atlantic waters grows, the need for firsthand data on these releases is greater than ever—and fishermen like you hold the key. Your submissions to SAFMC Release can help us better understand what species are being released, the size of released fish, and how many survive. Such information provides valuable insights into our snapper grouper fishery and may help inform assessments and management.
Contribute to a Meaningful Citizen Science Project
You make observations every time you fish. By logging those observations with SAFMC Release, you’re transforming your everyday experiences into valuable data that can help scientists and managers better understand the snapper grouper fishery. Check out the 2024 SAFMC Release Data Summary to see how participant contributions are helping us understand more about our snapper grouper fishery.
It’s Free & Confidential
Participation costs nothing, and all individual data collected through SAFMC Release is kept confidential. Information about your individual data will only be shared with science and management agencies to help inform fisheries management. When described or presented in public settings, trip and fishing location information will be combined with that of other users.
Earn Prizes for Your Contributions
Hook more than just fish—hook prizes, too! Every eligible submission you make during the Release Rodeo earns you entries into Sea Grant prize giveaways for gear you can use on the water. Moreover, there are opportunities to win Sea Grant prize packages for your submissions to SAFMC Release outside of the South Atlantic Release Rodeo through the Participant Recognition Program (PRP). Check out how you can win prize packages through the PRP here.
How It Works
During the South Atlantic Release Rodeo, each submission to SAFMC Release that includes a photo of your released fish earns you an entry into Sea Grant prize giveaways.
The South Atlantic Release Rodeo takes place from May 1 to July 31 during which, commercial, recreational and for-hire fishermen can earn giveaway entries by submitting information on their released shallow water grouper and Red Snapper. Data is submitted to the citizen science project SAFMC Release through the free SciFish mobile app.
- Standard Entries: For each submission that includes a photo of your released fish, you earn an entry into the Release Rodeo’s monthly and grand prize giveaways.
- Double Entries: Submissions that include a ruler or item of known length (a soda can, for example) receive two giveaway entries per submission. See photo guidelines.
- Participants can receive giveaway entries for up to four SAFMC Release submissions per month, meaning you can earn up to eight entries if all four submissions are length verifiable. See the Entry Rules section for more details on photo guidelines.
At the end of each month, Sea Grant will randomly select two winners from that month’s pool of qualified entries. Monthly prize packages will include Z-man artificial lures, a pair of SeaQualizer Mono Cutters, a Sea-ya-Later inverted hook descending device, circle hooks, and lead weights.
Two grand prize recipients will be randomly drawn at the end of the Rodeo from all eligible entries. One grand prize package includes a Penn Senator 113H2 Reel, SeaQualizer Release Rod, Cobalt 25 Quart cooler, and a set of three JYG 1oz Vyper Jigs. The combination of a short rod and high-torque reel makes recovering your descending device and weight much easier. The other grand prize package includes a Luminous slow pitch rod, Tsunami Salt X reel, and a set of three JYG 1oz Vyper Jigs.
Winners will be contacted via the email address linked to their SAFMC Release account — so be sure to check your inbox (and your spam folder) for updates! Employees of Sea Grant, SAFMC, and other state or federal agencies are not eligible to receive prizes.
Entry Rules
- The South Atlantic Release Rodeo is open to commercial, for-hire, and recreational fishermen in South Atlantic waters (North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and east coast of Florida). Employees of Sea Grant, SAFMC, and other state or federal agencies are not eligible to receive prizes.
- Submissions must be for a released Red Snapper or shallow water grouper species (Black, Gag, Yellowfin, Scamp, Yellowmouth, Red, Coney, Graysby, Red Hind, and Rock Hind). Check out the Shallow Water Grouper Species ID Guide for photos and tips on how to identify these species!
- Refer to the How it Works section for information on how to earn giveaway entries. For a photo to be eligible for length validation (and thus earn double entries), it must follow the following guidelines:
- The entire fish, from nose to tail, must be visible.
- The fish’s nose should be aligned with the zero mark on the ruler or the start of the item of known length.
- Take the photo from directly above the fish with a bird’s-eye view.
- Participants can earn up to 4 entries per month for Sea Grant giveaways with standard photo submissions, or up to 8 entries per month if their photo submissions include valid length verification.
- Only submissions made between May 1 and July 31 will qualify for Sea Grant giveaways.
What is SAFMC Release?
SAFMC Release is a citizen science project that partners with South Atlantic commercial, for-hire, and recreational fishermen to collect information on released shallow water grouper and Red Snapper using the free mobile app, SciFish. Through their submissions, fishermen can share details of their released fish including fish length, depth caught, optional location, observations of shark predation, and use of barotrauma reduction techniques – like descending devices.
Getting Started
Set up a SAFMC Release account by filling out this online form or contacting Meg Withers at meg.withers@safmc.net. Once an account is set up, your login information will be emailed to you. If you already have a SAFMC Release account – you can log into SciFish with your existing username and password.
Download the free SciFish app from the Apple App store or Google Play store and log in with your username and password. We recommend anglers practice using the app before the event begins. Here is a link to some helpful videos to familiarize yourself with the app, including videos on starting, completing and submitting an entry.
Starting an Entry
Available Data Fields
Submitting a 'No-Release'
Questions?
For questions regarding the South Atlantic Release Rodeo, please contact Ryan McMullen (ryan.mcmullen@safmc.net).
For questions regarding SAFMC Release, please contact Meg Withers (meg.withers@safmc.net) or Julia Byrd (julia.byrd@safmc.net).
Help Spread the Word
Want to help get more anglers involved? Download and share the official 2026 Release Rodeo poster with your fishing club, local tackle shop, or on social media.
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