FWC to create saltwater game fish and sport fish designations

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is considering creating saltwater game fish and sport fish designations and could approve a final rule on the issue in February.

The FWC this week approved a draft rule which it hopes will highlight and protect some of Florida’s premier recreational fish and encourage anglers to adopt voluntary conservation practices such as catch-and-release.

If the proposal is passed it would create a sport fish designation that would offer a higher level of protection than game fish by making selected species catch-and-release only, including no recreational harvest as well as no commercial harvest, possession or sale.

Before moving forward with the proposal, the Commission decided to remove a parameter that would have limited gear to hook-and-line only for both designations.

They also removed another parameter that was proposed for the game fish designation only that would have required captain and crew of for-hire vessels such as charter boats to have a bag limit of zero and not be allowed to take fish home for themselves.

Which fish species will be included under the game fish or sport fish designations will be decided at future meetings though the commission said it would not happen  at the February Commission meeting.

The commission is taking public comment on the proposal.

Public comment can be sent to Marine@MyFWC.com. 

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