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 three 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.

Learn more about bluefish recreational regulations at MyFWC.com/Marine by clicking on “Recreational Regulations” and “Bluefish,” which is under the “Regulations By Species – General Species” section.

For the full July 22-23 agenda, including links to background reports, go to MyFWC.com/About and click on “The Commission” and “Commission Meetings.”