| JULY 2010 SALT WATER REGULATION CHANGES |
|
New Red Snapper closed season - June 24 -May 31 for Gulf,
Red Snappper limit 2 per harvester (included in 10 snapper bag limit)
|
| Swordfish 47" lower jaw
fork length with head attached. One per harvester per day. Must be reported
to NOAAwithin 24 hours. 800-894-5528.
|
| Weakfish 12 inches and one
per day. This only applies in new management areas. Check with
www.myflwc.com for additional
information.
|
| Bonefish 18inches and one
per harvester per day.
|
FWC Division of Marine Fisheries Management
March 2010 Hot Sheet – Mar
ine
Fisheries Management 4
• Snook: The recreational harvest of snook is temporarily closed in state and federal waters through August 31, 2010,
due to cold weather fish kills. Catch and release fishing is still permitted.
• Spotted Seatrout: The recreational harvest of spotted seatrout opens March 1 for all waters north of the Flagler-Volusia County line
to the Florida-Georgia border and all waters north and west of a line in the Atlantic and Gulf waters running due west from the westernmost
point of Fred Howard Park Causeway, which is about 1.17 miles south of the Pasco-Pinellas County line to the Florida-Alabama border.
This means all Florida waters will be open to the sport harvest of spotted seatrout beginning March 1.
• Grouper: The recreational harvest of shallow-water grouper species is closed from February 1 through March 31 in state and federal
waters of the Gulf of Mexico, excluding all waters of Monroe County. During this time, no red, black, gag, yellowfin, yellowmouth,
rock hind, red hind, or scamp grouper may be recreationally harvested.
LEMON SHARK
Action: Updated regulations for Shark protection
Information: Effective March 23, 2010 the harvest of all lemon sharks in state waters is prohibited.
This rule was approved at the February Commission meeting.
New shark regulations took effect January 19,
2010 statewide for all recreational and commercial harvesters. These
regulations:
Prohibit all harvest of sandbar, silky, and Caribbean sharpnose sharks,
Require sharks to be landed in whole condition, this includes landing sharks
with heads and tails intact.
Established a minimum fork length of 54 inches for all
sharks except Atlantic sharpnose, blacknose, bonnethead,
and finetooth, as well as smooth dogfish; Made hook and line the only allowable gear for harvesting sharks and prohibited the use of natural bait
when using multiple hooks, and Commercial updates - changed season dates, required wholesale dealers to have a federal permit,
and closed state waters to commercial harvest when ASMFC or NOAA Fisheries closes adjacent waters.
Effective March 23, 2010, all harvest of lemon sharks in state waters is
prohibited.
