Leah Roberts caught this bull red drum on New Year's Day on the Indian River at Sebastian. Great catch Leah.
Commission Meeting – June
Action: Marine Fisheries Management items to be discussed at June meeting near Apalachicola
Discussions:
- South Atlantic federal fishery management updates
Potential regulatory changes on:
- Red drum – Draft rule to adopt the one-fish bag limit in the northwest management zone as a long-term management action
- Mutton snapper – Draft rules to increase the minimum size limits, reduce the recreational bag limits and modify the commercial trip limits
- Barracuda – Draft rules to create a slot limit in south Florida
- Bay scallops in St. Joseph Bay – Discussion on current status of bay scallop population in St. Joseph Bay and management measures to help rebuild the population
- Yellowtail snapper – Modify commercial gear requirements
- Bringing fish back from The Bahamas – Allowing harvesters to bring back recreationally caught wahoo, dolphinfish and reef fish from the Bahamas as fillets instead of in whole condition
- Boca Grande Pass Boundary – Draft rule to adopt a recent regulatory boundary shift due to a buoy being relocated as a long-term management action.
Links for more information:
Gag and Black Grouper - Size Limit Change
Action: Gag and black grouper size limit changed to 24 inches
Information: The recreational minimum size limit for gag and black grouper in Gulf of Mexico state waters will change from 22 inches to 24 inches total length starting June 1 to match recent changes in Gulf federal waters.
Links for more information:
Gag - Gulf Season
Action: Recreational season starts June 1 in most state waters
Information: The recreational gag grouper season startsJune 1 in most state and all federal Gulf of Mexico watersJune 1. This season will remain open through Dec. 31, closing Jan. 1, 2017.
State waters off Franklin, Wakulla, Taylor and Jefferson counties are open only from April 1-June 30. Monroe County follows Atlantic regulations and is open from May 1-Dec. 31.
The size limit for gag in Gulf state and federal waters is 24-inches total length and the daily bag limit is two fish per person within the four fish grouper aggregate bag limit.
Links for more information:
Triggerfish - Gulf
Action: State season closes June 1
Information: The recreational gray triggerfish season closesJune 1 in Gulf state waters (shore to 9 nautical miles). The season is expected to reopen Aug. 1 but will remain closed through the end of the year if federal waters remain closed.
Links for more information:
Snook - Atlantic
Action: Season closes June 1 in state and federal waters
Information: The recreational snook season in Atlantic state and federal waters closes June 1, reopening to harvestSept. 1. This includes all waters of Lake Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River.
Links for more information:
Amberjack - Gulf
Action: Season closes June 1 in state waters
Information: The recreational greater amberjack season in Gulf state waters closes June 1, reopening to harvest Aug. 1.
Links for more information:
Bay Scallops
Action: Season opens June 25
Information: The bay scallop season, which is recreational only, opens June 25 from the Pasco-Hernando county line through the west bank of the Mexico Beach Canal in Bay County. The season will remain open through Sept. 24.
The FWC will be considering potential management changes for Gulf County (the St. Joseph Bay area), where initial monitoring has indicated that the bay scallop population is low. A press release will be issued and MyFWC.com and this site will be updated if any changes are made.
For areas open to harvest, there is a daily bag limit of 2 gallons of whole bay scallops in the shell or one pint of meat per person with a maximum of 10 gallons of whole bay scallops in the shell or ½ gallon bay scallop meat per vessel.
Links for more information:
Lionfish Challenge
Lionfish Challenge
Action: Remove 50 lionfish, get rewarded
Information: Remove 50 or more lionfish between Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day (May 14, 2016) and the end of September to qualify for the FWC’s Lionfish Challenge. The person who “checks in” the most lionfish will be crowned Florida’s Lionfish King or Queen. Visit MyFWC.com/Lionfish and click on “Lionfish Challenge” to learn more.
Links for more information:
Lionfish Panhandle Pilot Program
Action: Program in 7-county region focuses on lionfish removal
Information: For every 100 lionfish harvested from Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Gulf and Franklin counties, between May 2016 and May 2017, the harvester will be eligible to receive a tag allowing them to take either an extra legal-sized red grouper or cobia over the bag limit from state waters. The state will issue 100 red grouper and 30 cobia tags in total to successful participants in the pilot program. In addition, the first 10 persons or groups that harvests 500 or more lionfish during this one-year period will be given the opportunity to have an artificial reef named after them.
Links for more information:
Red Snapper - Gulf
Action: State recreational season continues through July 10
Information: Recreational season in state waters will remain open daily through July 10. The season will reopen Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in September and October, and on Labor Day.
The recreational season in Gulf federal waters is June 1-9for private anglers and June 1 through July 16 for federally permitted for-hire vessels such as charter boats and head boats.
Links for more information:
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