 Sean Skakandy and a wahoo.
Submit your photos by emailing them to Saltwater@MyFWC.com.
Commission Meeting Updates
Action: Marine Fisheries Management items discussed
at April meeting in Jupiter
Discussions:
- Federal fishery management updates
Regulatory changes:
- Red drum daily bag limit in northwest management zone lowered to 1 fish per person starting May 1
- Lionfish: Two-part removal program approved; starts May 14
- Red snapper (Gulf): Recreational season in state waters set to open Saturdays and Sundays in May starting May 7; then open May 28 through July 10 continuously; and open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in September and October, and on Labor Day
- Reef fish: Modification of rules for species that have been removed from federal management
- Gray triggerfish will likely close early in Gulf federal waters and if so, it will also close early in state waters.
Links for more information:
Agenda
[MyFWC.com]
News
Releases [MyFWC.com]
Red Drum
Action: Daily bag limit lowered to 1 in northwest zone
Information: The recreational daily bag limit in the
northwest zone of Florida will be lowered from 2 to 1 starting May 1. This zone
is from Escambia County through Fred Howard Park near the border of Pasco and
Pinellas counties. As a result of this
change, the red drum bag limit will be 1 along the entire Gulf coast.
This is a precautionary measure. Staff will continue
gathering public input on red drum populations and management through the end of May. The Commission
will consider whether this region-wide bag limit reduction is appropriate as a
long-term management measure at the June meeting in the Apalachicola area.
Links for more information:
Red Drum [MyFWC.com]
Red
Drum Survey [MyFWC.com]
Facebook
Page [Facebook.com/RedDrum2016]
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Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day
Action: Celebrate with us May 14 and 15
Information: Join the FWC
in celebrating the second annual Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day (Saturday,
May 14) by attending one of many exciting events across the state including a
festival 2-day in Pensacola and several statewide removal events.
Links for more information:
Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day [MyFWC.com]
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 get
entered in 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
Challenge [MyFWC.com]
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 a legal-sized red grouper or a legal-sized cobia that is 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, any
person or group that harvests 500 or more lionfish during this one-year period
will be given the opportunity to name an artificial reef.
Links for more information:
Panhandle
Pilot Program [MyFWC.com]
Red Snapper – Gulf State Season
Action: State recreational season starts in May
Information: Recreational season in state waters set to open Saturdays
and Sundays in May starting May 7; then open May 28 through July 10
continuously; and open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in September and October,
and on Labor Day.
Links for more information:
Snapper
[MyFWC.com]
Grouper - Atlantic
Action: Recreational season opens May 1
Information: The recreational season for gag, black, red,
yellowmouth, yellowfin and tiger grouper; scamp; red hind; rock hind; coney;
and graysby; opens May 1 in Atlantic state waters, including all of Monroe County.
Links for more information:
Groupers
[MyFWC.com]
Snook - Gulf
Action: Season closes May 1
Information: Snook will close to all harvest in Gulf
state, federal and inland waters, including all of Monroe County and Everglades
National Park, starting May 1.
Links for more information:
Snook
[MyFWC.com]
Stone Crab
Action: Season closes May 16
Information: Recreational and commercial stone crab
season closes May 16 in state waters.
Links for more information:
Stone crab
[MyFWC.com]
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