Monday, June 15, 2020

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is looking for public input on future management of the stone crab fishery

 The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is looking for public input on future management of the stone crab fishery.

A long-term declining trend in stone crab landings indicates a decline in the stone crab population and the fishery is likely undergoing overfishing.

Potential regulation changes include moving the end of stone crab season from May 15th to April 9th.

They could also extend the post-season trap retrieval period from 5 days to 10 days after the season ends. 

FWC is also considering increasing the minimum claw size limit by 1/8 inch to 2 7/8 inches and limiting the possession of whole stone crabs on the water to 2 “checker boxes,” each up to12 cubic feet.

FWC will hold two virtual stone crab workshops to gather public input about management of the fishery on June 16th and 18th. 

All commercial and recreational stakeholders interested in stone crab management are encouraged to attend.


The workshops will start at 6 p.m., Eastern time and you can connect to the meetings by going to FWC.adobeconnect.com/mfm 


http://live.oysterradio.com/

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