 Red drum. Photo by Mark Dunham.
Submit your photos by emailing them to Saltwater@MyFWC.com.
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St. Lucie County: Removing outdated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Rule cleanup: Repealing outdated regulations that predate current statewide rules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:
Agenda
[MyFWC.com]
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 license requirements.
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:
Snook
[MyFWC.com]
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 16 inches
total length. The season is not open in Gulf federal waters.
Links for more information:
Snappers [MyFWC.com]
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 through Sept. 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 [MyFWC.com]
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:
Bay
Scallops [MyFWC.com]
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 on Sept. 3.
All bag limits, seasons and size restrictions apply.
Miss this license-free fishing day? Nov. 26 is also a
saltwater license-free fishing day. There
are eight license-free fishing days each year including four freshwater and
four saltwater.
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:
License Information [MyFWC.com]
License-Free
Fishing Days [MyFWC.com]
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
Challenge [MyFWC.com]
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:
Panhandle
Pilot Program [MyFWC.com]
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