Marty Wade with a red snapper.
Submit your photos by emailing them to Saltwater@MyFWC.com.
Red Snapper Season - Gulf
Action: Recreational red snapper open weekends in August
Information: The state recreational and federal private recreational red
snapper seasons will be open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Sept. 4,
including Monday Sept. 4.
In Gulf state waters, this change applies to all recreational
anglers, including those fishing from for-hire vessels.
In Gulf federal waters, the season change only applies to anglers
fishing on private recreational vessels. Federally permitted for-hire vessels had
a separate season.
Links for more information:
Snapper [MyFWC.com]
Bay Scallops – Gulf County
Action: Season postponed
Information: The bay scallop season in state waters from the Mexico Beach Canal
in Bay County through the westernmost point of St. Vincent Island in Franklin
County has been postponed until further notice. This postponement is a
precautionary measure due to a naturally occurring algae bloom that affects
shellfish and can cause health effects in humans that consume contaminated
shellfish, oysters, or clams.
All areas outside of the Gulf County region are not affected by
the algae bloom and remain open to harvest.
Links for more information:
News
Release [MyFWC.com]
Hogfish
Action: Regulations changes in state and federal waters effective Aug. 24
Information: Starting Aug. 24,
several changes to hogfish management will go into effect in state and federal
waters. Approved changes include:
- Lowering the Atlantic recreational daily bag limit from five to one fish
per harvester
- Setting an Atlantic recreational harvest season of May 1 through Oct. 31
- Increasing the Atlantic recreational and commercial minimum size limit from
12 to 16 inches fork length
- Increasing the Gulf recreational and commercial minimum size limit from
12 to 14 inches fork length
- Setting the minimum importation and sale size limit to 14 inches fork length
statewide.
Links for more information:
Hogfish [MyFWC.com]
Commission Meeting – Orlando
Marine Fisheries items discussed July 10-11
Information: The FWC Commission listened
to public testimony on and discussed several marine fisheries management items
at the July 10-11 meeting in Orlando.
Approved regulation changes (final decisions on these topics
made at this meeting):
- Gag grouper: Approved a Sept. 1 through Dec. 31 recreational
season in state waters off Franklin, Wakulla, Jefferson and Taylor counties, in
addition to the current April 1 through June 30 season for these four counties.
Gulf state waters outside of that area (excluding Monroe County) and all Gulf
federal waters are open June 1 through Dec. 31. Also approved changing the commercial minimum size limit
for gag grouper from 22 to 24 inches. The size limit change will go into effect
after similar pending federal regulations are approved.
- Gray triggerfish: Directed staff to issue an
executive order opening gray triggerfish in Gulf state waters for a limited
fall 2017 season. This season will be posted online and a press release will be
issued once the season has been determined. The Commission also approved the
following measures for Gulf state waters: increasing the recreational size
limit from 14 to 15 inches fork length in Gulf state waters, decreasing the
recreational bag limit from two to one fish per person per day in Gulf state
waters, and creating a closed season from Jan. 1 through the end of February,
starting in 2018, while maintaining the June 1 through July 31 closed season
that is already in place. These changes will go into effect after similar
federal measures are approved.
Draft regulation changes (these items were discussed and
will be brought back to a future meeting for final decision):
- Cobia: Commission approved draft changes to be
brought back to the Commission meeting in September for a final public hearing
including defining all state waters north of the Monroe-Collier county line as
Gulf state waters for the purpose of cobia management, increasing the minimum
size limit in Gulf state waters from 33 inches to 38 inches fork length,
reducing the commercial trip limit from two to one fish per person per day in
Gulf state waters, and reducing the recreational and commercial vessel limit to
two per vessel per day in Gulf state waters.
Discussions:
- Sheepshead and Tripletail: The Commission
discussed several draft changes for statewide management of these two species
but did not take action and directed staff to gather more input from commercial
and recreational stakeholders on potential changes.
- Federal fishery Congressional and management updates
Links for more information:
Agenda [MyFWC.com]
News
Releases [MyFWC.com]
Goliath Grouper Workshops
Action: Share your input on goliath grouper management
Information: FWC is hosting several workshops to
gather public input on goliath grouper management, including the possibility of
a limited harvest in Florida state waters.
Workshops will
be from 5 to 8 p.m. local time at the following dates and locations (see link below for details including
event addresses):
- July 31: Lake Worth
- Aug. 1: Key West
- Aug. 2: Marathon
- Aug. 3: Key Largo
- Aug. 8: Crystal River
- Aug. 9: Carrabelle
- Aug 16: Pensacola
- Aug. 17: Panama City
- Oct. 9: Jacksonville
- Oct. 10: Titusville
- Oct. 11: Stuart
- Oct. 12: Davie
- Oct. 16: Pinellas Park
- Oct. 17: Port Charlotte
- Oct. 18: Naples
If you cannot attend an
in-person meeting, submit comments online by visiting
MyFWC.com/SaltwaterComments. Staff is working on a virtual workshop that should
be available online in the near future.
Links for more information:
Workshops [MyFWC.com]
Spotted Seatrout Workshops
Information: FWC
staff will host several spotted seatrout workshops in July and August across
the state to gather public input on management of this species and to discuss results
of the recent spotted seatrout stock assessment.
Workshops will be from 6 to 8 p.m. local time the following
dates and locations (see link below
for details including event addresses):
- July 25: Carrabelle
- July 26: Panama City
- July 27: Pensacola
- July 31: Cedar Key
- Aug. 1: Crystal River
- Aug. 2: St. Petersburg
- Aug. 3: Naples
- Aug. 7: Jacksonville
- Aug. 8: Melbourne
- Aug. 9: Fort Pierce
- Aug. 17: Tallahassee
If you cannot
attend an in-person meeting, submit comments online by visiting
MyFWC.com/SaltwaterComments.
Links for more information:
Workshops [MyFWC.com]
Workshop
Presentation [MyFWC.com]
Spiny Lobster
Action: Season starts Aug. 6
Information: Spiny
lobster opens for recreational and commercial harvest Aug. 6.
The recreational daily bag limit and on-the-water possession
limit is 6 per person.
Spiny lobster must have a carapace larger than 3 inches and,
when harvested by diving, must be measured in the water. The carapace is
measured beginning at the forward edge between the rostral horns, excluding any
soft tissue, and proceeding along the middle to the rear edge of the carapace.
Harvest is prohibited in Everglades National Park, Dry
Tortugas National Park, the Biscayne Bay Card Sound Spiny Lobster Sanctuary and
the no-take areas of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
Links for more information:
Spiny Lobster [MyFWC.com]
How to measure a spiny lobster
[MyFWC.com]
2017 Lionfish Challenge
Action: Revamped program has commercial and
recreational categories
Information: Remove
25 or more lionfish (or sell at least 25 pounds commercially) between Lionfish
Removal and Awareness Day (May 20, 2017) and Labor Day (Sept. 4, 2017) to enter
the FWC’s Lionfish Challenge and be eligible to win prizes. The recreational
and commercial harvesters who check in the most lionfish will be crowned
Florida’s recreational Lionfish King or Queen and Commercial Champion,
respectively.
Links for more information:
Lionfish Challenge [MyFWC.com]
FWC needs your feedback
Information: FWC
is collecting feedback on several fisheries issues including shrimp, flounder,
and trap fisheries.
Provide comments on these or other fisheries online at MyFWC.com/SaltwaterComments.
Link for more information:
Saltwater Comments [MyFWC.com]
Gulf Reef Fish Survey
Attention Gulf Anglers
Information:
Snapper and grouper season is here. That means it is time to sign up for or
renew your participation in the Gulf Reef Fish Survey. Registration for this
survey is required for all anglers (including those exempt from licensing requirements)
fishing from a private vessel for the following reef species in the Gulf: red
and vermilion snapper; gag, red, and black grouper; greater and lesser
amberjack; banded rudderfish; almaco jack; and gray triggerfish.
To renew online, visit GoOutdoorsFlorida.com.
If you are NOT a Gulf reef fish angler and don’t plan on
fishing for these reef species in the Gulf this year, please do not sign up or
renew your participation in the Gulf Reef Fish Survey. By only sampling anglers
who plan on fishing for those species, Florida is improving recreational data
collection. Questions? Contact us at Marine@MyFWC.com.
Links for more information:
Gulf Reef Fish Survey [MyFWC.com]
Saltwater Angler Recognition Programs
Catch a Florida Memory today
Information: Participation in any of these three programs encourages
ethical angling while earning rewards for your efforts.
- Saltwater
Fish Life List: A list of 71 different species. Can you catch them all?
- Saltwater
Reel Big Fish: Recognition for extraordinarily-sized catches.
- Saltwater
Grand Slams: Earn rewards for catching three different specified species
in a 24-hour period.
Link for more information:
CatchaFloridaMemory.com
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