 Jason Blitzer with his Lionfish Challenge submission. Sign up for the Challenge today at MyFWC.com/Lionfish.
Submit your photos by emailing them to Saltwater@MyFWC.com. Learn
more about our photo guidelines.
Shark-fishing from shore public workshops
Share your management input on this
important issue
Information: The
FWC needs your input on future management of the shore-based shark fishery.
Share your input by attending a workshop in person or by sending us comments
online at MyFWC.com/SaltwaterComments.
Workshops will begin at 6 p.m. local time:
-
August 6:
Panama City, Gulf Coast State
College, The Russell C. Holley and Herbert P. Holley
Language and Literature Building, Sarzin Lecture Hall, 5230 West US Highway
98
-
August 7:
Pensacola, Sanders Beach-Corinne
Jones Resource Center – Parks & Recreation Department, City of Pensacola,
913 South I Street
-
August
20: Daytona Beach, Piggotte Community Center, Reception Hall Room, 504 Big
Tree Road
-
August
21: Jacksonville, Jacksonville
University, J. Henry Gooding Building – Gooding Auditorium, 2800 University
Blvd North
-
August
27: Melbourne Beach, Melbourne Beach Community Center, 509 Ocean Avenue
-
August
28: West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, Department of Planning, Zoning
& Building – The Vista Center, 2300 North Jog Road
-
August
29: Miami, Miami City Hall – Commission Main Chambers, 3500 Pan American
Drive
-
August
30: Key Colony Beach, City Hall, 600 W. Ocean Drive
Past workshops:
- July 18:
Bradenton
- July 19:
Ft. Myers
Links for more information:
Workshops [MyFWC.com]
Agenda [MyFWC.com]
Red snapper – Atlantic federal
FWC gathering data at docks during season
Information: The recreational red snapper season in Atlantic
federal waters will be open the weekends of Aug. 10-12 and 17-19. In Atlantic
federal waters, the daily bag limit will be one fish per person and there is no
minimum size limit.
During this season, FWC will have research staff collecting
data on red snapper at many of Florida’s boat ramps and docks. As you return from
your trip, please take a moment to share your catch information and allow our
staff to take samples and measurements. This information helps us and our
federal fishery partners improve management of this species.
In addition, help test electronic data collection by
voluntarily reporting trip information on the South Atlantic Fishery Management
Council’s MyFishCount app. You can get more information at MyFishCount.com.
The app does not replace data collected dockside, though, so
if you use the app, please also continue to allow staff to collect data when
you return from your trip.
Links for more information:
Snappers [MyFWC.com]
Lionfish Summit call for abstracts
Deadline is Aug. 3
Information: The FWC is seeking abstracts
for the upcoming 2018 Lionfish Summit,
Oct. 2-4 in Cocoa Beach. The deadline for
abstract submissions is Aug. 3.
The Lionfish Summit will bring
together marine resource management staff, dive professionals, researchers and
ocean conservationists to discuss three main themes: Policy & Regulations,
Control Efforts/Research & Monitoring, and Education & Outreach.
If you are interested in
participating, submit an abstract (up to 1 page) on your work. Please let us
know if you are interested in giving a 15-minute oral presentation or participating
in a poster session and which theme your presentation will address. Space is
competitive and submission of an abstract does not guarantee acceptance to
present at the summit. Our selection committee will notify the accepted
presenters on Aug. 13.
For questions, email Lionfish@MyFWC.com or call 850-487-0554.
Links for more information:
Lionfish
Summit [MyFWC.com]
Greater amberjack
– Gulf
Recreational harvest opens Aug. 1
Information: The recreational greater amberjack season in Gulf state and
federal waters opens Aug. 1 and is scheduled to remain open through Oct. 31 in
Gulf state waters.
The minimum
size limit is 34 inches fork length. The daily bag limit is 1 fish per person.
Links for more information:
Amberjack [MyFWC.com]
Gray triggerfish – Gulf
Recreational harvest opens Aug. 1
Information: The recreational gray triggerfish season in Gulf state and
federal waters opens Aug. 1 and is scheduled to remain open through Dec. 31 in
Gulf state waters.
The minimum
size limit is 15 inches fork length. The daily bag limit is 1 fish per person.
Links for more information:
Triggerfish [MyFWC.com]
Scallops – Gulf County
Season starts Aug. 17
Information: The bay scallop season starts Aug. 17 in all
state waters from the Mexico Beach Canal in Bay County to the westernmost point
of St. Vincent Island in Franklin County. The season will remain open in these
areas through Sept. 30. Please note that the area marked with FWC buoys south
of Black’s Island is a no-entry zone. Please do not swim, boat or scallop in
that area.
Links for more information:
Scallops [MyFWC.com]
2018 Lionfish Challenge
One more month left to get your lionfish tails in
Information: The 2018 Lionfish Challenge runs through Sept.
3 and rewards lionfish harvesters with prizes for removing lionfish. This
year’s program includes a new tagged-lionfish component. Catch an FWC-tagged
lionfish and win up to $5,000. Other prizes will be awarded for lionfish
removal, tagged or not. Participants who remove the most lionfish in the
recreational and commercial categories will be crowned the 2018 Recreational
Lionfish King/Queen and the Commercial Champion. Register today or learn more
about the program at MyFWC.com/Lionfish.
Links for more information:
Lionfish Challenge [MyFWC.com]
Challenge
Promotional Video [YouTube.com/FWCSaltwaterFishing]
Spiny lobster
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]
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Lobster trap soak
Commercial spiny lobster season trap soak period
starts Saturday, July 28 in state waters
Information: The commercial spiny lobster season trap soak
period starts early this year, on Saturday, July 28, in state waters. The
Commission will discuss continuing this early soak in future years at their September
meeting in Tallahassee.
Links for more information:
Spiny lobster [MyFWC.com]
We need your data
Information:
Gulf red snapper season may be over, but it’s never too late to report your
data.
Continue
reporting information from your Gulf red snapper season trips via the iAngler
Gulf Red Snapper and iAngler Gulf Red Snapper Charter apps! Learn more about
these apps at GulfRedSnapper.org or Facebook.com/GulfRedSnapperApp.
In addition,
if you have received a Gulf Reef Fish Survey in the mail, please fill that out
and return it to us whether you use the app or not.
And finally,
don’t forget to renew your Gulf Reef Fish Angler designation on your license
annually at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com before fishing in Gulf
state or federal waters for any of the following species: red snapper, gag
grouper, greater amberjack, lesser amberjack, banded rudderfish, almaco jack,
red grouper, black grouper, vermilion snapper, and gray triggerfish.
Blue crab trap closures
Trap closures slated for Aug. 10-19 and Aug. 20-29
Information: To identify and retrieve lost and abandoned
blue crab traps, the FWC has established regional blue crab trap closures.
These closed seasons only apply to standard blue crab traps. The harvest of
blue crabs by other gear, such as dip nets and fold-up traps, is allowed during
the closures. Traps that are attached to private property such as a dock can
continue to be fished during the closures.
All
waters of Brevard through Palm Beach counties, excluding the St. Johns River
system, will be closed to the use of blue crab traps from Aug. 10-19.
All
waters from the Georgia/Florida state line, excluding the St. Johns River
system, south through Volusia County will be closed to the use of blue crab traps
from Aug. 20-29.
Links for more information:
Blue Crab [MyFWC.com]
Permit
Season opens Aug. 1 in Special Permit Zone
Information: Harvest of permit inside the special permit zone
reopens Aug. 1. The daily limits are one fish per person and two per vessel and
the minimum size limit is 22 inches fork length inside this zone. The Special
Permit Zone includes state and federal waters south of Cape Florida in the
Atlantic and south of Cape Sable in the Gulf.
The harvest of permit from areas north of the Special
Permit Zone is open year-round with a bag limit of two fish per person and size
limit of not less than 11 inches or more than 22 inches fork length. One fish
over 22 inches total length per person with no more than two over 22 inches per
vessel is allowed within the two-fish bag limit north of the Special Permit
Zone.
Links for more information:
Permit [MyFWC.com]
Information: FWC is
collecting feedback on several fisheries issues including shore-based shark
fishing, trap fisheries, shrimp, and bay scallops.
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.
FWC also manages the Florida Saltwater Fishing Records
program.
Link for more information:
CatchaFloridaMemory.com
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