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FWC proposes changes to snook rules
April 12, 2007
Contact: Lee Schlesinger, (850) 487-0554
Anglers may see new snook regulations soon.
Changes to snook bag and size limits and harvest seasons were
proposed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission (FWC) on Thursday.
This action is intended to provide additional
protection for Florida’s valuable snook populations, which are
considered to be fairly healthy on the state’s Atlantic and Gulf
coasts. However, the FWC believes a reduction in harvest is
necessary to help achieve the Commission’s management goal for
snook and sustain and improve the fishery.
The latest FWC stock assessment for snook
concluded the management goal of a 40-percent spawning potential
ratio established for this fishery is not being met, and
increasing fishing effort and habitat loss are contributing to
the declining rate. Spawning potential ratio is the ratio of the
egg production of mature fish in a fished population to the egg
production that would exist if the population were not fished.
The FWC has proposed rule amendments to reduce
the snook daily recreational bag limit from two fish to one on
the Atlantic Coast, which would coincide with the one-fish limit
now in place on the Gulf Coast and in waters of Everglades
National Park and Monroe County. The rules also would change the
current 27-34 inches total length snook slot limit to 28-32
inches in the Atlantic and 28-33 inches in Gulf, Everglades and
Monroe County waters.
No changes are proposed for the Dec. 15 – Jan.
31 and June-August snook closed harvest seasons in the Atlantic,
however the rules would add the first half of December and the
month of February to the Dec. 15 – Jan. 31 and May-August snook
closed harvest seasons in the Gulf, Everglades and Monroe
County.
Another rule proposal would allow snook anglers
to carry more than one cast net aboard a vessel. Right now,
anglers who possess a snook on a vessel are allowed to have only
one secured and stored cast net aboard the vessel.
The proposed snook rule changes were initiated
by a workgroup formed by the FWC to help evaluate management of
the snook fishery. A series of public workshops was recently
held in Central and South Florida to allow comment and input
regarding the proposals.
A final public hearing on the proposed snook
rules will take place during the FWC’s June 13-14 meeting in
Melbourne. |
