FWC's Fishing in the Know

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December 2016

FWC's Fishing in the Know

Division of Marine Fisheries Management Monthly Newsletter

Make sure you can identify the fish in your area, specifically the fish you are targeting. Have a resource to help you identify fish you are not familiar with such as the FWC’s Fishing Lines guide or a saltwater fish field guide.

Lionfish King David Garrett

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. 

Submit your photos by emailing them to Saltwater@MyFWC.com.

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:

Agenda [MyFWC.com]

News releases [MyFWC.com]

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:

Snook [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:

  • 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:

CatchaFloridaMemory.com [MyFWC.com]

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:

Panhandle Pilot Program [MyFWC.com]

IN THIS ISSUE

Commission Meeting

Snook

New Saltwater Angler Recognition Programs

Lionfish Panhandle Pilot Program

    STATE SEASON UPDATES

    December-January

    State waters are from shore to 9 nautical miles in the Gulf and from shore to 3 nautical miles in the Atlantic.  

    Dec. 1 – 

    Snook (Gulf) closes


    Dec. 15 – 

    Snook (Atlantic) closes


    Jan. 1 – 

    Grouper, several species, (Atlantic) closes

    Greater amberjack (Gulf) opens

    Gag (Gulf) closes

    Gray triggerfish (Gulf) remains closed


    Jan. 5-14 – 

    Blue crab trap closure (Franklin County-FL/AL state line excluding Ochlockonee River/Bay)

     

    Christmas snook

    Rosemary White celebrates the holiday season with snook fishing. 

    EVENTS

    December-January

    Lionfish Events Calendar

    Dec. 3 – Women’s Fishing Clinic – St. Augustine

    Contact: 850-487-0554 or marine@myfwc.com

     Get the Marine Fisheries Monthly via email at MyFWC.com by clicking on “Sign up for updates ”