 Find a monofilament recycling bin near you with our new interactive map at MRRP.MyFWC.com. Photo by FWC.
Submit your photos by emailing them to Saltwater@MyFWC.com. Learn
more about our photo guidelines.
Commission Meeting – February
Marine Fisheries items to be discussed Feb. 7-8
Information: The FWC Commission will
listen to public testimony on and discuss several marine fisheries management
items at the Feb. 7-8 meeting in Tallahassee. All items are slated to be
discussed Feb. 8 unless otherwise noted below.
Potential regulation changes (final decisions on these
topics may be made at this meeting):
- Permit: Proposal to lengthen the permit spawning
season closure inside the Special Permit Zone in south Florida by adding April
to the existing May through July closure (on the consent agenda slated for Feb.
7).
- Bay scallops: Proposal to establish
regionally-specific bay scallop harvest seasons for the 2018 season.
Draft rule discussions (if
approved, these items will be brought back to a future meeting for final
decision):
- Gulf red snapper: Draft rule proposal as a part
of Florida’s proposed fishery management pilot program to improve data
collection by requiring charter, headboat and guides who fish for reef fish in Gulf
state waters and do not have a federal reef fish permit to report their
intention to harvest certain species of reef fish. This presentation will also
include an update on recent federal discussions about red snapper and the 2018
recreational harvest season.
- Sheepshead and tripletail: Draft rule proposal
to extend FWC’s current and proposed rules for both species into federal
waters, to increase the minimum size limit for tripletail from 15 to 18 inches,
to reduce the daily recreational bag limit for sheepshead from 15 to 5 fish,
and to create a vessel limit of 50 sheepshead for recreational harvesters
during the peak spawning months of March and April.
- Spiny lobster trap certificate program: Draft
rule proposal to remove outdated and inconsistent rule language. (on the
consent agenda slated for Feb. 7).
Discussions:
- Dry Tortugas National Park Research Natural Area
review (Feb. 7)
- Federal fishery management updates
- Federal legislative update
Links for more information:
Agenda
[MyFWC.com]
Cobia – Gulf
Changes effective this February
Information: Several changes to
the management of cobia in state waters of the Gulf of Mexico go into effect
this month. Changes include:
- Making the recreational and commercial bag
limits for cobia in Gulf state waters the same by reducing the commercial limit
from two to one fish per person.
- Reducing the recreational and commercial vessel
limit in Gulf state waters from six to two cobia per vessel, per day.
Link for more information:
Cobia [MyFWC.com]
Snook – Atlantic
Atlantic season opens Feb. 1
Information:
The recreational harvest season for snook in Atlantic state and federal waters
(from the Miami-Dade/Monroe county line north) including Lake Okeechobee and
the Kissimmee River is slated to open Feb. 1.
Link for more
information:
Snook [MyFWC.com]
Monofilament Recovery and Recycling
New website look plus interactive map
Information:
Visit the newly updated MRRP.MyFWC.com
website. Locate a monofilament recycling bin near you by using the new
interactive recycling bin map. Watch a video on how to make your own
monofilament recycling bin. Join up with or create your own organized cleanup
event. Check out one of our many partner sites. Don’t forget to join our
community online by following us at Facebook.com/FloridaMRRP.
Link for more information:
MRRP website [MyFWC.com]
FWC needs your feedback
Information: FWC
is collecting feedback on several fisheries issues including bay scallops, 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]
Saltwater Angler Recognition Programs
Catch a Florida Memory today
Information: These three programs encourage 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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