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Updated 1/19/10
Snook Season
Canceled, Tarpon
Season Closed
Florida anglers eagerly anticipating snook season
February 1 are facing disappointment. The state has cancelled
snook season until September to protect the popular gamefish. |
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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has
issued executive orders to protect Florida's snook, bonefish and tarpon
fisheries from further harm caused by the recent prolonged cold weather
in the state, which has caused widespread saltwater fish kills.
The orders also will allow people to legally dispose of dead fish in the
water and on the shore.
The order also establishes a temporary prohibition on the harvest and
possession of bonefish and tarpon from state and federal waters off
Florida through March 31, unless these fisheries are opened sooner or
the closures are extended by subsequent order.
One of the executive orders temporarily extends closed fishing seasons
for snook statewide until September. It also establishes temporary
statewide closed seasons for bonefish and tarpon until April because of
the prolonged natural cold weather event that caused significant,
widespread mortality of saltwater fish in Florida. The other order
temporarily suspends certain saltwater fishing regulations to allow
people to collect and dispose of dead fish killed by the cold weather.
"A proactive, precautionary approach is warranted to preserve our
valuable snook, bonefish and tarpon resources, which are among Florida's
premier game fish species," said FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto. "Extending
the snook closed season and temporarily closing bonefish and tarpon
fishing will protect surviving snook that spawn in the spring and will
give our research scientists time to evaluate the extent of damage that
was done to snook, bonefish and tarpon stocks during the unusual
cold-weather period we recently experienced in Florida."
Snook season currently is closed in Florida under regular FWC rules, and
there are also regular closed snook seasons that occur in the summer.
However, the FWC executive order extends the statewide snook closed
seasons continuously through August 31 and provides that no person may
harvest or possess snook in state and federal waters off Florida during
this period unless the fishery is opened sooner or the closure is
extended by subsequent order.
The orders took effect January16.
The state has also temporarily removed specific harvest regulations for
all dead saltwater fish of any species that have died as a result of
prolonged exposure to cold weather in Florida waters. It also modifies
methods of taking dead fish from Florida's shoreline and from the water
to allow the collection of saltwater fish by hand, cast net, dip net or
seine. In addition, people taking dead fish are not required to possess
a saltwater fishing license.
However, these fish may not be sold or consumed, but must be immediately
be disposed of in compliance with local safety, health and sanitation
requirements.
Click the links below to view copies of my other recent reports.
12-28-2009
- 01-04-10
- 01-11-2010
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