Red drum. Photo by Mark Dunham.
Commission Meeting – St. Augustine
Marine Fisheries items to be discussed Sept. 8
Information: The FWC Commission will discuss several marine fisheries management items Sept. 8 at the meeting in St. Augustine.
Discussions:
- Federal fishery management update
- Spiny lobster bully net fishery
Final public hearings:
- Red drum: Keeping daily bag limit of 1 fish in NW management zone
- Mutton snapper: Modifications to the recreational and commercial size, bag and trip limits. Recommendations will be finalized prior to the Commission meeting based on feedback from public workshops held in August 2016.
Consent agenda items:
- Black Sea Bass: Increasing the recreational daily bag limit from 5 to 7 fish per person in Atlantic state waters and adding commercial buoy line marking requirements in Atlantic state waters for traps consistent with requirements in adjacent federal waters.
- Atlantic Gray Triggerfish: Setting the recreational and commercial minimum size limit to 12 inches fork length in Atlantic state waters only; setting the statewide importation and sale minimum size limit to 12 inches FL; and setting the recreational daily bag limit to 10 fish per person in Atlantic state waters.
- St. Lucie County: Removing outdated regulations that apply in St. Lucie County only.
- Commercial Saltwater License Forms: Updating forms to reflect the latest, more user-friendly versions developed by FWC.
- Rule cleanup: Repealing outdated regulations that predate current statewide rules related to allowable fishing gear.
Links for more information:
Snook – Atlantic and Gulf
Season opens Sept. 1
Information: Gulf snook populations were negatively impacted by a 2010 cold kill. Gulf snook numbers currently exceed FWC’s management goals but are still rebuilding to pre-cold-kill levels, which is one of the reasons why it is important to handle fish with care in this region and use moderation when determining whether or not to harvest one.
A snook permit as well as a recreational saltwater license is required unless the angler is exempt from licenserequirements. Snagging snook is prohibited and gear is limited to hook-and-line only.
The daily bag limit is one-fish per person.
In the Atlantic, snook must be not less than 28 inches and not more than 32 inches total length, which is measured from the most forward point of the head with the mouth closed to the farthest tip of the tail with the tail compressed or squeezed while the fish is lying on its side. In the Gulf, they must be not less than 28 inches and not more than 33 inches total length.
It is illegal to buy or sell snook.
Links for more information:
Red Snapper – Gulf
Recreational harvest opens weekends in Sept.-Oct. in state waters
Information: The recreational red snapper season in Gulf state waters reopens Sept. 2 and will remain open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through September and October, including Labor Day (Sept. 5).
The daily bag limit is two-fish per person within the 10-snapper aggregate bag limit. The minimum size limit is 16inches total length. The season is not open in Gulf federal waters.
Links for more information:
Bay Scallops – St. Joseph Bay/Gulf County
Shortened season ends Sept. 6; reduced bag limit in effect
Information: The 2016 bay scallop season in all waters west of St. Vincent Island through the west bank of the Mexico Beach Canal in Bay County will be open throughSept. 5 (Labor Day), and will close to harvest Sept. 6.
The daily bag limit in this area is reduced to 40 scallops per person or 200 per vessel, whichever is less.
Do not boat, swim, or scallop in areas marked with FWC buoys. Restoration efforts are underway. The restoration area is a 10-acre square located in the south west section of the bay just south of Black's Island.
Regulations have not changed for all open areas from St. Vincent Island through the Pasco-Hernando county line. The season will remain open June 25 through Sept. 24 and the daily bag limit remains 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:
Bay Scallops
Season ends Sept. 25, last day of harvest Sept. 24
Information: Bay scallop season, for all open areas from St. Vincent Island through the Pasco-Hernando county line, closes Sept. 25.
Links for more information:
Saltwater License-Free Fishing Day
Saltwater license-free fishing day Sept. 3
Information: Florida residents and visitors can experience Florida’s unique saltwater fishing opportunities without being required to have a recreational saltwater fishing license onSept. 3.
All bag limits, seasons and size restrictions apply.
An annual license for residents can be purchased at 1-888-FISH-Florida or at License.MyFWC.com. All fishing license fees are used to support Florida fish and wildlife conservation and help attain additional funding for Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration projects.
Links for more information:
Lionfish Challenge
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. Additional prizes will also be awarded to randomly selected participants between now and the end of September.
Links for more information:
Lionfish Panhandle Pilot Program
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 up to 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 harvest 500 or more lionfish during this one-year period will be given the opportunity to name an artificial reef.
Links for more information:
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