FWC's Fishing in the Know - August 2021

Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission sent this bulletin at 07/30/2021 12:00 PM EDT

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August 2021

New In This Issue

Redfish Summit 2021

Commission meeting – August

Tampa Bay

Greater amberjack

Gray triggerfish

Spiny lobster

Bay scallops

2021 Lionfish Challenge

Conservation Tip of the Month

Increasing a fish’s chances of survival after it is released will help ensure fish populations remain sustainable for future generations.

Fish Rules App

Stay up-to-date with the latest Florida fishing regulations by downloading the Fish Rules app on your smart device.

Learn more at http://www.fishrulesapp.com

Ethical Angler of the Month

Rosemary White caught this amazing black drum during a special opportunity fishing event for the International Women’s Fishing Association (IWFA) at the Suncoast Youth Conservation Center in Apollo Beach.

For more information about the IWFA please visit: IWFA.org

Submit your photos by emailing them to Saltwater@MyFWC.com. Learn more about our photo guidelines.

Redfish Summit 2021

Scheduled for Aug. 24

We are hosting a day-long public discussion on redfish biology and management in Florida, including a presentation on an updated stock assessment, information about habitat and water quality, and interactive discussions about future management of the fishery.

Registration and updates can be found at MyFWC.com/Redfish2021.

Commission meeting – August

Marine fisheries items

Information: The FWC Commission will listen to public testimony on and discuss several marine fisheries management items at the Aug. 4-5 meeting in Bonita Springs. Advance comments should be submitted no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, July 30, 2021.

Decision making (regulation changes are anticipated to be made on this topic):

Atlantic coast: spot and Atlantic croaker (CONSENT AGENDA – Aug. 4): The Commission will consider the creation of new species-specific regulations for spot and Atlantic croaker in state waters from the Florida-Georgia border through Miami-Dade County. Proposed changes include establishing a daily recreational bag limit of 50 fish per person for each species and establishing commercial vessel limits of 2,200 lbs. for spot and 1,200 lbs. for Atlantic croaker.

Discussions (no regulation changes are anticipated to be made on these items; both items are on Aug. 5):

Coral reef disease response and restoration efforts: FWC staff will summarize the status of the ongoing Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease.
Federal fishery management updates: The Commission will discuss outcomes of recent meetings of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

Links for more information:

Agenda [MyFWC.com]

Tampa Bay

Snook, redfish and spotted seatrout catch-and-release

Snook, redfish and spotted seatrout are catch-and-release in Tampa Bay through Sept. 16 due to recent impacts from red tide. This includes all waters in Manatee County north of State Road 64, Hillsborough County, and in Pinellas County. The Braden River and all tributaries of the Manatee River are also included, but not Palma Sola Bay or the Anclote River.

Links for more information:

News release [MyFWC.com]

Greater amberjack

Gulf recreational harvest opens Aug. 1

The recreational greater amberjack season in Gulf state and federal waters opens Aug. 1 and is scheduled to remain open through Oct. 31.

Make sure you have the State Reef Fish Angler designation on your license if you plan to fish for greater amberjack from a private vessel.

Links for more information:

Amberjack [MyFWC.com]

Gray triggerfish

Gulf recreational harvest opens Aug. 1

The recreational gray triggerfish season in Gulf state and federal waters opens Aug. 1 and is scheduled to remain open through Dec. 31 (but could close earlier if the quota is reached).

Make sure you have the State Reef Fish Angler designation on your license if you plan to fish for gray triggerfish from a private vessel.

Links for more information:

Triggerfish [MyFWC.com]

Spiny lobster

Season starts Aug. 6

Spiny lobster opens for recreational and commercial harvest Aug. 6.

The recreational daily bag limit and on-the-water possession limit is six lobster per person.

Spiny lobster must have a carapace longer 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, in the no-take areas of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, and in the five Coral Reef Protection Areas in Biscayne National Park.

Always use a divers-down warning device when in the water.

Links for more information:

Spiny lobster [MyFWC.com]

How to measure a spiny lobster [MyFWC.com]

KeysLobsterSeason.com [Fla-Keys.com]

Divers-down warning devices [MyFWC.com]

STATE SEASON UPDATES

August - September

State waters are from shore to 9 nautical miles in the Gulf and from shore to 3 nautical miles in the Atlantic.

Aug. 1 – Permit (Special Permit Zone) opens

Aug. 1 – Greater amberjack (Gulf) opens

Aug. 1 – Gray triggerfish (Gulf) opens

Aug. 6 – Spiny lobster opens

Aug. 16 – Bay scallops (Gulf County) opens

Sept. 1 – Snook (Gulf) opens (catch-and-release only from Pinellas/Hillsborough counties south through Gordon Pass in Collier County.)

Sept. 1 - Snook (Atlantic) opens

Sept. 1 – Gag grouper (Franklin-Taylor) opens

Sept. 7 – Bay scallops (SW Taylor/Dixie) closes

Sept. 25 – Bay scallops (Gulf, Franklin-NW Taylor & Levy-Hernando counties) closes

FWC WANTS YOUR FEEDBACK

Share your input on goliath grouper, trap fisheries, dolphinfish and more.

Provide your comments

GREAT CATCH!

Happy Birthday!

Sidney Swink added this red grouper to her Catch a Florida Memory Saltwater Life List on a family fishing trip in Key Largo the day after her 9th birthday. She caught it on a piece of cut ballyhoo.

EVENTS

August - September

We will continue to monitor COVID-19 updates and plan events with this consideration in mind.

Lionfish Events Calendar

Aug. 4-5 – Commission Meeting – Bonita Springs

Aug. 24 – Redfish Summit 2021

SOCIAL SALTWATER

Post of the month

From the MyFWC Facebook page:

Keep the gills wet!

Catching a large tarpon is a thrill like none other. But before you capture that moment forever in a photo, it’s important to remember that all tarpon over 40 inches must remain in the water, especially the gills. The only exception to this is if you are in pursuit of a state or world record and using a tarpon tag. Don’t ruin an epic photo with a temporary lapse in judgement. Keep that tarpon in the water to help it regain strength and survive upon release.

#Tarpon regulations: https://bit.ly/2SF2AAM

#Fish handling: https://bit.ly/3gzhKRc

SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS

Catch a Florida Memory Facebook

Lionfish Reef Rangers Facebook

FWC Facebook

FWC Instagram

FWC Saltwater Fishing YouTube

ONLINE FISHING RESOURCES

Saltwater Fishing Tips

Recreational Regulations

On-the-water Etiquette

And More!

Bay scallops

Gulf County season starts Aug. 16

The bay scallop season starts Aug. 16 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 this region through Sept. 24. NOTE: The area marked with FWC buoys south of Black’s Island is a Bay Scallop Restoration Area and no scalloping or anchoring is allowed there.

Links for more information:

Scallops [MyFWC.com]

2021 Lionfish Challenge

Turn in your lionfish for rewards

We’re halfway through the 2021 Lionfish Challenge and 8,000 lionfish have already been turned in! The Lionfish Challenge rewards lionfish harvesters with prizes for submitting lionfish. Participants who remove the most lionfish in the recreational and commercial categories through Labor Day (Sept. 6) will be crowned the 2021 Recreational Lionfish King/Queen and the Commercial Champion. Register today or learn more about the program at FWCReefRangers.com.

State Reef Fish Angler

Do you fish for reef fish like snapper, grouper or triggerfish from a private recreational vessel off Florida's Atlantic or Gulf coasts? Then you are a State Reef Fish Angler. Sign up for this no cost required designation even if you are normally exempt from purchasing a fishing license at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com or learn more at MyFWC.com/SRFS.

Florida Coral Crew

If you want healthy, beautiful coral reefs and would like more information about Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease and what the FWC and partners are doing to help, join the Crew and sign up today: FLCoralCrew.com. And while you’re out enjoying the water this summer, remember these tips:

Avoid touching corals while diving.
Don’t anchor near corals.
Clean diving gear between dive sites.
Use environmentally friendly sunscreens.

Catch a Florida Memory

William Lux with his first ever tripletail that earned him a Catch a Florida Memory Reel Big Fish Recognition and qualified him for Reel Big Fish Tier 1 Recognition.

From the angler: "My line started zipping off the reel and I knew I had a good fish on! It fought really hard and I thought it was a shark but when I saw it was a tripletail, I was super excited! This was one of the top species of fish I’ve been wanting to catch for a long time. So excited I finally got one and from a pier of all things! I can’t wait for my dad to cook it on the grill, I heard they are one of the best fish to eat."

Submit saltwater catches and earn rewards

Have you caught a Florida memory? Submit photos of your saltwater catches to earn rewards for various achievements while targeting a diversity of species and reducing fishing pressure on the most commonly sought-after catches.

Saltwater Fish Life List: Can you catch all 70 species?
Saltwater Reel Big Fish: Recognition for extraordinary-sized catches.
Saltwater Grand Slams: Earn rewards for catching three specific fish in 24 hours.

Join the Triple Threat Club and earn even more prizes (including a long sleeve performance fishing shirt and more) by participating in all three programs. Anglers must qualify for each of the three programs to be eligible.

FWC also manages the Florida Saltwater Fishing Records program.

Link for more information:

CatchaFloridaMemory.com

Learn how our partner, the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida, helps the FWC achieve its mission.

Subscribe to their newsletter.

Do you buy fishing gear? Fuel up your boat? Purchase a fishing license? Every time you do, you improve fishing opportunities through the federal Sport Fish Restoration program (SFR). Learn more about how you contribute and programs SFR supports at MyFWC.com/SFR.