New Florida Fishing regulations
| Date | Fish | New Regulation |
| January 2002 | Snook | Snook regulations have changed for the Gulf coast, Everglades National Park, and all of Monroe County. The daily bag limit has been reduced to 1 snook per person, per day, and the closed season now runs Dec. 15-Jan. 31 and May through August in these areas. The slot limit remains the same. The changes implemented reflect the different fishing pressure and different population dynamics that snook have on the Florida West Coast compared to the Florida East Coast. |
| July
25-26
March 22, 2001
|
Spiny
Lobster Mini Season
Cobia
|
The
spiny lobster sport season will fall on July 25th and 26th for
2001. The bag limits
are 6 per person, per day for Monroe County, and 12 per person,
per day for the rest of Florida.
There are no vessel limits for the sport season only, and
possession limits are enforced on and off the water.
The possession limit on the water is equal to the
daily bag limit, and off the water is equal to the daily
bag limit on the first day, and double the daily bag limit on
the second day. Spiny
lobster has a minimum size limit that must be larger than 3"
carapace, measured in the water.
A reminder that possession and use of a measuring device
is required at all times, and night diving is prohibited in Monroe
County (only during the sport season).
A recreational saltwater license and a crawfish endorsement
is needed for harvest. Regular
lobster season is August 6 through March 31.
The bag limit is 24 per vessel or 6 per person per day,
whichever is greater. The
vessel limit applies only in state waters and does not apply in
federal waters. Only
individual bag limits apply in federal waters.
State waters extend to nine nautical miles on the Gulf
of Mexico and three nautical miles on the Atlantic. 1 fish per person per day, 6 per vessel per day, whichever is less. Anglers must also possess a saltwater products license and a restricted species endorsement to sell cobia or exceed the one-fish daily bag limit. The minimum size requirements remain the same for cobia, 33" fork. Cobia are a migratory species, meaning they can travel great distances in a single year. One cobia that was tagged off of Mississippi was recaptured off the coast of South Carolina. In Florida waters, cobia move south and offshore as temperatures drop in the fall and winter. Cobia are summer spawners (May-September), and female cobia can spawn several times each season. For the past 5 years, recreational landings of cobia have been 85% of the total harvest. The largest cobia ever caught in Florida with conventional tackle was 130 lb 1 oz off Destin (1997) and the largest on caught with fly tackle was 83 lb 4 oz off Key West (1986). |
