The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has enacted new regulations that will strengthen protection of Florida's permit, pompano and African pompano fisheries. The new rules take effect August 31st. The FWC extended the current regulations into federal waters, giving more protection and increasing the enforceability of current rules. Previously, there were no regulations protecting permit, Florida pompano or African pompano in adjacent federal waters.New regulations separate the management strategies of the three species and create two new management areas for the harvest of permit. The two new management areas are seperated by a line running due east from Cape Florida and south of a line running due west from Cape Sable.
All state and federal waters south of the line will be designated a Special Permit Zone where the commercial harvest of permit will be prohibited. Recreational anglers will have a minimum size limit of 22 inches fork length and a daily bag limit of one permit per person and two per vessel. Also, recreational anglers are allowed to use only hook-and-line gear, except that spearing for permit is allowed in federal waters. There will also be a May, June and July harvest closure.
In the northern zone, there will be no commercial harvest for permit is allowed, however, commercial fishers who are targeting other species with nets outside of the Special Permit Zone are allowed an incidental bycatch trip limit of 250 fish. Recreational anglers will have a slot size of 11-22 inches fork length with a daily bag limit of two fish per person. Recreational anglers will be allowed one permit over 22 inches with a vessel limit of two permit larger than 22 inches in length. Recreational anglers are allowed to use only hook-and-line gear for permit, except that spearing for permit is allowed in federal waters.
The new regulations will also extend current Florida pompano recreational and commercial gear regulations and commercial trip and size limits into federal waters, maintain the Florida pompano recreational minimum size limit of 11 inches fork length and eliminate the 20-inch Florida pompano maximum size limit for recreational harvest. The new rules will maintain the recreational daily bag limit of six Florida pompano per person and eliminate the aggregate limit with permit.
Current African pompano recreational size and bag limits were extended into federal waters, and spearfishing for African pompano is allowed in federal waters.
Reel Work Sport Fishing
301 Seabreeze Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
954-522-9399
1-877-524-9377
Email: lauderdalefishing@gmail.com
Website: lauderdalefishing.com
Fort Lauderdale Fishing Charters
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