Rick Hale
Rick’s Bait & Tackle Shop
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Rick Hale’s take on the July FWC Meeting

There are changes on the way!  At its July meeting the FWC was very active.   A Flounder change which I have pushed for except the closure in November.   Flounder is still in the draft phase.

Bluefish, they have not set a date for and October 1st is set for Stone crabsIt might also be hard to find good  oysters for the next five years.

FWC approves draft changes to flounder.  The FWC approved draft changes to the management of Florida’s flounder fishery.  These changes will be brought back to the Commission in October for final consideration. 

A stock status update suggests that the flounder fishery statewide has been in a general declining trend in recent years and is likely overfished and undergoing overfishing on the Atlantic coast of Florida.  Other states have also reported declines in flounder populations and have been making their own regulation changes.  FWC has been  working with stakeholders to gather input on this fishery through workshops, online commenting and more.

Draft rule changes include:

• Increase minimum size limit from 12 to 14 inches total length recreational and commercial.

• Reduce recreational bag limit from 10 to five fish per person.

• Establish a November closure  (recreational.)

• Establish a commercial trip and vessel limit of 150 when using allowable gear for all months outside of November.

• Establish a Nov.  commercial trip and vessel limit of 50 lbs. when using allowable gear.

• Extend all FWC flounder regulations into federal waters.

The Commission also directed staff to continue working with the industry on flounder bycatch in federal waters.  FWC approves Atlantic bluefish changes At its July Commission meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission FWC approved changes to Florida’s Atlantic bluefish regulations.

Bluefish from Maine through the Atlantic coast of Florida make up a single population.  A 2019 federal stock assessment found that this Atlantic population of bluefish is overfished.  Because of the assessment results,  federal fishery managers adopted more restrictive recreational bag limits in federal waters, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is requesting states implement similar regulations.

Changes approved by FWC include:

• Reducing the recreational daily bag limit from 10 to 3 fish per person along the Atlantic coast from Nassau through Miami- Dade counties.

• Clarifying that FWC regulations for bluefish do not extend into federal waters of the Atlantic.  The effective date for these changes is to be determined.

FWC approves Stone Crab regulation changes.  Effective Oct.  1, 2020 At the same meeting, the Florida Fish and  wildlife Conservation Effective Oct.  1, 2020.

At the same meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved changes to recreational and commercial stone crab regulations. 

Florida’s stone crab fishery has experienced a long-term decline in  harvest and is likely undergoing overfishing.  FWC staff worked with stakeholders on these changes that are intended to increase the stone crab population and build resiliency in the fishery.

Approved changes go into effect October 1, 2020, and include:

*        Moving the season end date from May 15 to May 1st, closed on May 2nd

*        Requiring a 2 3/16-inch escape ring in all plastic and wood stone crab traps before the start of the 2023/2024 season.

*        Increasing the minimum claw size limit by 1/8 inches from 2 3/4 inches to 2 ⅞.

*        Limiting possession of whole stone crabs on the water to two checker boxes, each up to 3 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet OR a total volume of 24 cubic feet.

Checker boxes are used to hold crabs onboard a vessel before they are measured and legal-sized claws are removed.

FWC approves measures to support recovery and restoration of oysters in Apalachicola Bay.  Also, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission approved draft regulation changes to further support restoration and recovery of oysters in Apalachicola Bay - Temporarily suspend all harvest of wild oysters from the bay and prohibit on-the-water possession of wild oyster harvesting equipment (tongs) through Dec.  31, 2025, or until 300 bags per acre of adult oysters can be found on a significant number of reefs.

While the Commission will make the final decision on whether to implement these changes at the October Commission meeting, they directed staff to proactively suspend all harvest of wild oysters through an Executive Order effective Aug.  1, 2020.  The proposed rules would not apply to oyster aquaculture operations.

“Apalachicola is a gem of a place and it is one that has been decimated,” said Commissioner Rodney Barreto.  “I feel for all the fishermen and businesses there.  We will continue to be emotionally and scientifically available to this community throughout this process.” The FWC will continue to monitor recovery of oysters and re-evaluate whether limited harvest opportunities may be available earlier than anticipated.

In addition, the FWC received a $20 million commitment from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundations Gulf Environmental Benefits Fund to conduct large scale restoration of oyster habitat in the bay.  These funds will be used for a 5 year project that includes developing a stake - holder informed adaptive management plan for the oyster fishery and clutching (the spreading of shell to restore oyster habitat) on 1,000 acres of oyster reef habitat.