New rules proposed for saltwater reef fish

[Fishhound]

Regulations are slated to change for several recreational and commercial marine reef fish species found in Florida’s offshore waters. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Thursday proposed a series of rule amendments that will bring Florida regulations in line with recent rule changes for federal waters adjacent to state waters.
Florida state waters extend 9 nautical miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico and 3 miles offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. So-called “federal” waters, also known as the Exclusive Economic Zone or EEZ, extend farther offshore beyond state waters. The FWC has regulatory jurisdiction in Florida waters, and federal agencies and councils manage fishing in federal waters.
The FWC is proposing the following rule amendments to be consistent with recent federal rule changes, and as a result, to minimize public confusion and aid in enforcement:
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apply the same commercial quotas and/or trip limits in Atlantic state waters that have been established in Atlantic federal waters for golden tilefish, snowy grouper, red porgy and black sea bass;
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establish a daily recreational bag limit of one fish per person for snowy grouper and for golden tilefish within the five-grouper aggregate daily bag limit in Atlantic waters;
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increase the recreational size limit for vermilion snapper from 11 inches total length to 12 inches total length in Atlantic waters;
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adopt a June 1 - May 31 recreational and commercial fishing season for black sea bass in Atlantic waters;
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increase the recreational size limit for black sea bass from 10 inches total length to 12 inches total length and decrease the daily recreational bag limit from 20 fish per person to 15 fish per person in Atlantic waters;
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require the use of at least 2-inch mesh for the back panel of black sea bass traps, require removal of traps from the water once the commercial quota is met, and reduce the recreational allocation of black sea bass in Atlantic waters;
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increase the daily recreational bag limit for red porgy from one fish per person to three fish per person in Atlantic waters;
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prohibit the captain and crew on for-hire vessels from retaining recreational bag limits of all species of grouper in Gulf waters;
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decrease the recreational size limit for vermilion snapper from 11 inches total length to 10 inches total length in Gulf waters;
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eliminate the Apr. 22 - May 31 commercial closed season for vermilion snapper in Gulf waters; and
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eliminate the requirement that commercial red snapper fishers must possess either a Class 1 or Class 2 red snapper license to conform with new federal provisions that establish an Individual Fishing Quota program for red snapper in Gulf waters.
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Another proposed rule amendment would prohibit the possession of all recreational reef fish species on commercial trips. A final public hearing on all of these rule proposals will take place during the FWC’s April 11-12 meeting in Tallahassee. [left] [/left][/url][/font]
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