 Lionfish Challenge participant Brad Riles.
Submit your photos by emailing them to Saltwater@MyFWC.com.
Commission Meeting – St. Augustine
Marine Fisheries items discussed Sept. 8
Information: The FWC Commission discussed several marine fisheries
management items Sept. 8 at the meeting in St. Augustine.
Discussions:
- Federal fishery management update
- Spiny lobster bully net fishery, draft rule
expected at November meeting
Regulatory changes:
- Red drum: Daily bag limit of 1 fish in NW
management zone adopted and currently in effect.
- Red snapper: Recreational season in Gulf state
waters extended due to effects of Hurricane Hermine. New dates include Nov.
5-6, 11-12, and 25-27.
- Mutton snapper: Modifications to the
recreational and commercial size, bag and trip limits effective Jan. 1.
- Black sea bass: Recreational daily bag limit
increased from 5 to 7 fish per person in Atlantic state waters to match new
federal waters bag limit. Line marking requirements that are consistent with
pending federal rules set for Atlantic commercial fishery. Effective date to
be determined.
- Atlantic gray triggerfish: Recreational and
commercial minimum size limit set to 12 inches fork length in Atlantic state
waters only; statewide importation and sale minimum size limit set to 12
inches FL; and the recreational daily bag limit set to 10 fish per person in
Atlantic state waters. Already in effect.
- Gulf greater amberjack: Recreational season
closed Sept. 10 through Dec. 31, 2016, in Gulf state waters.
- St. Lucie County: Outdated regulations that
apply only in St. Lucie County will be removed. Effective date to be
determined.
- Commercial Saltwater License Forms: Stone crab
and lobster trap tag replacement and trap certificate transfer forms updated along
with a form related to an exemption to the RS qualifications to reflect the
latest, more user-friendly versions developed by FWC.
Links for more information:
News Releases [MyFWC.com]
Agenda [MyFWC.com]
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 and start Oct. 3:
- Saltwater Fish Life List: A list of 71 different
species. Can you catch them all?
- Saltwater Reel Big Fish: Recognizes you for your
extraordinary-sized catch.
- Saltwater Grand Slams: Get rewarded for catching
3 different specified species in a 24-hour period.
Links for more information:
CatchaFloridaMemory.com
[MyFWC.com]
Lionfish
Challenge
Program wraps up Sept. 30
Information: More than 14,000 lionfish were removed from
Florida waters as the Lionfish Challenge came to a close Sept. 30. Final
numbers will be announced soon along with the winner, who will be crowned Florida’s
Lionfish King or Queen at the November Commission meeting. The Lionfish
Challenge rewarded participants for removing 50 or more lionfish between
Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day (May 14, 2016) and the end of September.
Links for more information:
Lionfish
Challenge [MyFWC.com]
Stone
Crab – Season Opens
Action: Recreational and commercial
season opens Oct. 15 in state and federal waters
Information:
- Only the claws may be harvested
- Although it is currently lawful to harvest both
of a stone crab's claws, this practice leaves the stone crab with few ways to
defend itself from predators. FWC encourages people to only take a single claw.
- Claws
must be 2 ¾ inches to be harvested
- Recreational
bag limit: 1 gallon of claws per person, 2 gallons per vessel, whichever is
less
- Harvest
of claws from females with eggs is prohibited
- May
16: Season closes
- Cannot
use any device that can puncture, crush or injure the crab body
- Recreational
harvesters may use up to 5 stone crab traps per person
- Trap
throat (entrance) must be no larger than 5 ½” x 3 1/8” in Collier, Monroe and
Miami-Dade counties. In all other counties, entrances can be no larger than 5
½” x 3 ½”. Round entrances can be no more than 5 inches in diameter.
- Round
trap entrances are not allowed in Collier, Monroe and Miami-Dade counties
Links for more
information:
Stone Crab Information [MyFWC.com]
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Red Snapper – Gulf State Season
Recreational harvest in state waters continues through October, days
added in November
Information: The recreational red snapper
season in Gulf state waters continues to remain open Fridays, Saturdays and
Sundays through October, and additional days were added to the season in
November to offset the effects of Hurricane Hermine.
Additional open season days include Nov.
5-6, 11-12, and 25-27.
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]
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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