The FWC honored Lionfish Challenge winner David Garrett at the November 2016 Commission meeting in St. Petersburg. Pictured from left are FWC Marine Fisheries Management Director Jessica McCawley, Garrett's girlfriend Julie Cage, Garrett, and FWC Marine Fisheries Management Services Section Leader Dan Ellinor.
Commission Meeting – St. Petersburg
Marine Fisheries items discussed Nov. 17
Information: The FWC Commission discussed several marine fisheries management items Nov. 17 at the meeting in St. Petersburg.
Discussions:
- Federal fishery management update
- Lionfish update and Lionfish King award presentation to David Garrett, who removed more than 3,000 lionfish between May 14 and Sept. 30, 2016
Draft rules:
- Spiny lobster bully nets: Draft rules approved to create an open-access commercial bully net endorsement, require commercial bully net vessels be marked with the harvester’s bully net endorsement number, prohibit the simultaneous possession of a bully net and any underwater breathing apparatus aboard vessels being used to commercially harvest lobster or being used to transport commercial quantities of lobster, and prohibit trap pullers on commercial bully net vessels. This item will be discussed again at the February meeting in Crystal River during a final public hearing.
Regulatory changes:
- Gulf gray triggerfish: The season is currently closed for the remainder of 2016 and will remain closed through all of 2017. However, the Commission will consider a limited season for 2017 at a future meeting.
- Barracuda: Creating a slot limit of 15-36 inches fork length (FL) in Collier, Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Martin counties. Includes an allowance for the harvest of one barracuda over 36 inches per person or vessel, whichever is less, within the current bag and vessel limits. Changes effective Jan. 1, 2017.
- Hogfish: Setting the state management boundary for Gulf and Atlantic hogfish regulations at 25 degrees 09 minutes North Latitude (due west of Cape Sable) in the Gulf of Mexico, increasing the Gulf recreational and commercial minimum size limit to 14 inches FL and the Atlantic recreational and commercial minimum size limit to 16 inches FL, setting the minimum importation and sale size limit to 14 inches FL, reducing the recreational bag limit to 1 fish in the Atlantic, and setting the Atlantic recreational harvest season to be May 1-Oct. 31. The effective date for these changes has not been determined but will be posted online. Visit MyFWC.com/Fishing for updates.
- Gear regulations rule cleanup: Updating confusing or outdated local and statewide gear regulations.
Links for more information:
Snook
Gulf season closes Dec. 1; Atlantic closes Dec. 15
Information: The recreational harvest season for snook closes:
- Dec. 1 in Gulf state and federal waters, including Monroe County and Everglades National Park, and will remain closed through Feb. 28, 2017, reopening to harvest March 1, 2017.
- Dec. 15 in Atlantic state and federal waters including Lake Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River, and will remain closed through Jan. 31, 2017, reopening to harvest Feb. 1, 2017.
Snook can continue to be caught and released during the closed season.
Link for more information:
New Saltwater Angler Recognition Programs
Catch a Florida Memory today
Information: We all know fishing has its own rewards, but turn them into something tangible by participating in one of the FWC’s new Saltwater Angler Recognition Programs.
There are three programs you can participate in, two of which are brand new:
- Saltwater Fish Life List: A list of 71 different species. Can you catch them all?
- Saltwater Reel Big Fish: Recognition for extraordinary-sized catches.
- Saltwater Grand Slams: Earn rewards for catching 3 different specified species in a 24-hour period.
Link for more information:
Lionfish Panhandle Pilot Program
Get rewarded for your lionfish removals in 7-county region
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.
Link for more information:
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