2/12/2007
New rules proposed for saltwater reef fish
CONTACT: Lee Schlesinger (850) 487-0554
Regulations are slated to change for several recreational
and commercial marine reef fish species found in Florida’s offshore waters.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Thursday
proposed a series of rule amendments that will bring Florida regulations in
line with recent rule changes for federal waters adjacent to state waters.
Florida state waters extend 9 nautical miles offshore in the
Gulf of Mexico and 3 miles offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. So-called
“federal” waters, also known as the Exclusive Economic Zone or EEZ, extend
farther offshore beyond state waters. The FWC has regulatory jurisdiction in
Florida waters, and federal agencies and councils manage fishing in federal
waters.
The FWC is proposing the following rule amendments to be
consistent with recent federal rule changes, and as a result, to minimize
public confusion and aid in enforcement:
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apply the same commercial quotas and/or trip limits in
Atlantic state waters that have been established in Atlantic federal
waters for golden tilefish, snowy grouper, red porgy and black sea bass;
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establish a daily recreational bag limit of one fish per
person for snowy grouper and for golden tilefish within the five-grouper
aggregate daily bag limit in Atlantic waters; |
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increase the recreational size limit for vermilion snapper
from 11 inches total length to 12 inches total length in Atlantic waters;
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adopt a June 1 - May 31 recreational and commercial
fishing season for black sea bass in Atlantic waters; |
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increase the recreational size limit for black sea bass
from 10 inches total length to 12 inches total length and decrease the
daily recreational bag limit from 20 fish per person to 15 fish per person
in Atlantic waters; |
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require the use of at least 2-inch mesh for the back panel
of black sea bass traps, require removal of traps from the water once the
commercial quota is met, and reduce the recreational allocation of black
sea bass in Atlantic waters; |
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increase the daily recreational bag limit for red porgy
from one fish per person to three fish per person in Atlantic waters; |
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prohibit the captain and crew on for-hire vessels from
retaining recreational bag limits of all species of grouper in Gulf
waters; |
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decrease the recreational size limit for vermilion snapper
from 11 inches total length to 10 inches total length in Gulf waters; |
|
eliminate the Apr. 22 - May 31 commercial closed season
for vermilion snapper in Gulf waters; and |
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eliminate the requirement that commercial red snapper
fishers must possess either a Class 1 or Class 2 red snapper license to
conform with new federal provisions that establish an Individual Fishing
Quota program for red snapper in Gulf waters. |
