Snook Season Closure

[Candy]

News Release

FWC responds to widespread cold-weather saltwater fish kills

January 15, 2010
Contact: Lee Schlesinger, 850-487-0554


• Executive Order 10-02 (Dead Fish)

• Executive Order 10-03 (Snook, Tarpon, Bonefish)


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 FWC has received numerous reports from the public and is
taking action to address the conservation needs of affected marine
fisheries. The orders also will allow people to legally dispose of
dead fish in the water and on the shore.


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 Aug. 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 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. The FWC
executive order for the snook, bonefish and tarpon closed seasons takes
effect at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 16.


The other FWC executive order temporarily removes 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 general methods of taking dead saltwater
fish from Florida's shoreline and from the water to allow the collection
of saltwater fish by hand, cast net, dip net or seine.


All people taking dead saltwater fish under the provisions
of this order may not sell, trade or consume such fish, and the dead fish
must immediately be disposed of in compliance with local safety, health
and sanitation requirements for such disposal.


In addition, all people taking dead fish under the
provisions of this order are not required to possess a saltwater fishing
license, and all fish taken under the provisions of this executive order
shall be those that have died as a result of prolonged exposure to cold
weather.


This FWC executive order takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on Jan.
16 and will expire at 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 1, unless it is repealed sooner
or extended by subsequent order.

[Sea-r-cy]

At least this doesn't affect the Destin area fishing. I've never seen a tarpon, bonefish, or snook around here.
BTY, why would anyone want to keep a bonefish or tarpon anyway??

Sea-r-cy

[jonesrw]

I was going to go down to Fort Myers to do some snook fishing with a buddy of mine this spring. Probably not now. Not just because the season will be closed but because of the huge snook die off. My friend down there said his harbor was FULL of 10 to 20 lbs snook that didn't make it due to the cold. I'm not sure I totally agree with the emergency closure but it sure makes more sense than the snapper regs.

[Candy]

Turtles needing rescue in the panhandle due to fridgid temperatures, Snook dying in mass from freezing water in Ft. Myers...has the world gone mad?