Tag Archives: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

The Future of Florida’s Commercial Fishing Industry Summit 2024

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Division of Marine Fisheries Management is hosting a commercial fishing industry summit called The Future of Florida’s Commercial Fisheries on May 21–22, 2024, in St. Augustine, Florida. We are honored to bring together those individuals and companies providing the world’s finest shrimp, crabs, lobsters, and finfish throughout the globe: the men and women of Florida’s commercial fishing industry! This summit will provide fishermen, dock owners, dealers, and other related businesses an opportunity to network, gain information, and collaboratively envision what Florida’s commercial industry will look like in 5 to 10 years. 09:48

Man with rifle fires 2 shots across commercial fisherman’s bow off Florida Keys

An argument between a recreational angler and a commercial fisherman off the Florida Keys nearly turned fatal Tuesday morning when the angler fired a rifle across the bow of the other man’s boat, police said. The incident happened around 9 a.m. on the oceanside of the Keys, about seven miles off Rodriguez Key, which is east of Key Largo, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the lead investigating agency. Arielle Cellender, an FWC spokeswoman, said the two men’s vessels were close to each other when they began arguing. >>click to read<< 07:01

New regulations aim to protect Florida’s stone crab population

For Floridians, October has one more holiday than what might be on most calendars: the start of stone crab season. Starting Oct. 15, recreational and commercial fishermen are able to harvest the species that holds a spot as one of the five most important fisheries in Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.  Although stone crabs are found from North Carolina to Belize, 99% of the stone crab harvest for the entire United States come from Florida.  And this year, the FWC began implementing new regulations in an effort to conserve the longevity of this important fishery. >>click to read<< 08:29

Derelict Shrimp Boat finally removed from St. Andrews Bay

On April 10th, 2022 a shrimp boat named Phi Long Hai caught fire. Coast Guard officials determined the boat’s ignition sparked the fire. The 50-foot boat sank just a few hundred yards off St. Andrews Marina and has been sitting there ever since until earlier this week when salvage crews from B-REX Industries pulled from St. Andrews Bay to the McKenzie Boat Ramp in Southport. The owner of the boat has since been charged with a misdemeanor and is responsible for the $65,000 dollar clean-up cost, says Horning. Video, >click to read< 12:06

Commercial fishermen accused of raiding fellow fisherman’s lobster traps in the Keys

Three commercial fishermen were arrested this week after being accused of raiding another commercial angler’s traps and stealing at least one spiny lobster. Their arrest Tuesday came five days after plainclothes Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers said they observed them from land checking the other boat’s traps off Long Key and taking one lobster. Aniel Sanfiel Vallalonga De La Fe, 51, from Miami, Ricardo Daiz De La Cruz, 32, from Boca Raton, and Yumar Gonzalez Ruiz, 49, from Homestead, each face two counts each of felony trap tampering and one count each of theft of the contents of another harvester’s traps, a second-degree misdemeanor. >click to read< 10:32

Florida Keys fishermen arrested on animal cruelty charges

Two commercial fishermen in the Florida Keys were arrested on felony charges after PETA released a video appearing to show the abuse of two animals. The video was initially posted as part of a PETA Investigates campaign against the consumption of stone crab claws. The person who captured the video expressed interest to the crew in learning about the stone crab industry, Goodman said. The intended focus was not on bycatch, yet she was able to openly record and capture footage of the crew members’ alleged misconduct. “The crew welcomed her aboard,” he said. “It was just somebody expressing interest in learning about the industry. It really just goes to show you how this disturbing misconduct is likely so common, that people knowing they’re filmed still would not hesitate to engage in this awful mutilation and abuse.” >click to read< 11:44

Fishing Boat Captain Pays $22,300 To Settle Federal Fisheries Case With NOAA

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced a settlement agreement with a commercial fishing captain. Darrell York of the commercial fishing vessel, F/V Watch Out, agreed to pay $22,300 restitution for resource-related crimes dating back to 2015. During a stop in January 2021, officers discovered 13 red snapper and one gag grouper in the hidden compartment.  >click to read<  13:20

Boat captain charged with fishing violations

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Offshore Patrol Vessel Program officers stopped the 48-foot commercial vessel, named Legacy, in the Pompano Endorsement Zone in federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico. They found the captain, Ronald Birren, had a monofilament entanglement net, known as a gill net, which has been illegal in Florida waters since 1995. Birren, of Hernando Beach, was cited for 2,611 pompano over the limit, possession of 76 undersized pompano, and having the gill net. >click to read< 08:22

Commercial fishing vessel caught with $30,000 of illegal shrimp in Tampa Bay

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission boarded the ship on March 3 as part of a resource inspection, according to a press release. More than 11,000 pounds of shrimp, along with several pounds of cobia fillets were discovered in the vessel’s freezer, FWC said. The F/V Dona Lupa was operating illegally just south of MacDill Air Force Base, officials say. >click to read< 22:14

Keys commercial fisherman takes off rather than face inspection

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers Daniel Jones and Alex Piekenbrock were conducting vessel inspections at the Vaca Key Marina in Marathon last Thursday. They were waiting at the dock when Roberto Cabrera was pulling in on his commercial lobster boat. Capt. David Dipre, head of the FWC in the Keys, said when Cabrera, 37, saw the officers, he began pulling away from the dock. Dipre said Jones and Piekenbrick told Carbrera several times to stop the boat. He responded to them that he was turning his vessel so he could pull into his slip bow first. “Once the vessel cleared the slip, Cabrera slammed the throttle down and left the marina on plane,” >click to read< 10:37

Florida Keys commercial fishermen caught with over 100 undersized lobsters

Three commercial fishermen working in the Florida Keys are facing felony conservation charges after state wildlife officers say they caught them with almost 130 undersized wrung spiny lobster tails on their boat Saturday night. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers said they caught the men as they were selling their catch to a fish house owner near Coral Key in the Middle Keys around 6 p.m. The men were still being held in Monroe County jail Monday night on a bond of $50,550 each. >click to read< 10:03

Stone crab season to open, race to place traps begins

Stone crab season opens Oct. 15 and crabbers are permitted to drop traps 10 days in advance. Cortez fisher Brian Lacey and his crew wasted no time Oct. 5, the first day traps were allowed in the water, putting their first load out in the Gulf of Mexico at midnight. “The longer the soak period, the better the catch, typically, for stone crabs,” Lacey said Oct. 5. In 400-trap increments, the 7-year commercial fisher aimed to drop 2,700 traps within a 40-mile area in a four-day span. >click to read< 08:47

Spiny lobster season kicks off amid an unexplained population drop

The Caribbean spiny lobster commercial fishery in Florida average more than 5 million pounds per year,,, Valued at more than $40 million, the spiny lobster fishery is the second most lucrative commercial fishery in the state, behind shrimp.,, Since the 1990s, the population of the Caribbean spiny lobster has decreased 20%, which matters, not only to fisheries and spiny lobsters, but also to the entire food chain of Florida’s waters. “They’re a main food item for every other organism in the Florida Keys. Everything wants to eat little lobsters from snapper, grouper, even some herons. Matthews said while the American lobster is a “mean, nasty animal” not afraid to “fight to the death,” the Caribbean spiny lobsters are just the opposite. “They love to be in groups. They defend each other, and they are very social animals. >click to read< 12:04

More Florida manatees died in 2021 compared to any other year

There have more manatee deaths so far this year in Florida compared to any other year in the state’s recorded history. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports 841 manatees have died through July 2, topping the previous record of 830 deaths that were recorded in all of 2013. That occurred following a red tide outbreak,,, This year, the FWC says, there has been “unprecedented manatee mortality due to starvation.” video, >click to read< 15;04

Commercial fisherman frustrated by red tide fish kills destroying his livelihood

Dead fish by the thousands are causing a smelly mess in the water and on the shorelines around parts of Tampa Bay. Commercial fisherman David Gill was shocked when he first saw it Monday morning near the mouth of the Alafia River. “I wanted to scream and rip my hair out because I watched my livelihood die right in front of me,” says Gill, who has been fishing these waters since he was a boy. For years, Gill and other fishermen have traveled miles to get away from red tide, which he believes is exacerbated by pollution, including the release from Piney Point. He’s angry about it. video, >click to read< 10:59

Jacksonville: Coast Guard suspends search for missing crab fisherman near Buckman Bridge, Man identified

The Coast Guard suspended the search Friday for a man who went missing after reportedly falling overboard a 30-foot fishing vessel near Buckman Bridge south of Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Thursday. Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office received a report at 7:57 a.m. of a 30-foot commercial fishing vessel unmanned and running in circles near the southside of the Buckman Bridge. >click to read< 19:31

Missing boater identified -The missing boater in a multi-agency search has been identified as 20-year-old Michael Vaughn III, who disappeared after falling overboard from a 30-foot commercial fishing vessel near the Buckman Bridge Thursday morning. >click to read<

Florida: One month into stone crab season, and there’s good news from the docks and markets

Fishermen are reporting a strong supply while markets and restaurants are saying customer demand is just as promising. “It’s been an outstanding season so far,” said Kelly Kirk, owner of Kirk Fish Company.  For customers, that means good news: Prices have held steady compared to last year. And large claws, usually more elusive, have been especially abundant, Kirk said.  The strong landings come despite new restrictions imposed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission aimed at protecting the stone crab population after years of declining harvests. Kirk said those declines aren’t being seen this season. “We’re seeing the opposite of that, actually,” Kirk said. “Had COVID not hit and the whole market turned upside down (last year), we probably would have broken records as far as production. >click to read< 10:34

Three New Calves! North Atlantic Right Whale calving season is now underway

Right whales are an endangered species that usually migrate south along the Georgia and Florida coastline to give birth to their calves. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced over the weekend that calving season is now underway and lasts through March. In the 2020 calving season, there were 10 calves born, which was up from seven in the 2019 season. Despite the increase in calves, the species is still endangered. In the 2020 calving season, there were 10 calves born, which was up from seven in the 2019 season.>click to read< 15:27

Three jailed after being caught with 109 undersized lobsters, out of season stone crab claws in the Keys

Three Lower Keys residents were jailed Friday after state fish and wildlife police said they were found with more than 100 undersized lobsters and a haul of out-of-season stone crab claws. Many of the crab claws were also undersized, police said. Rigoberto Morales, 52, of Stock Island, was the captain on the ESPY vessel, which was headed into shore near Stock Island carrying the illegal catch when officers on patrol decided to check their catch, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Two crew members, Charles William Rahming, 27, of Key West, and Arlem Silva, 34, were also booked into the Stock Island Detention Center along with Morales on a number of charges. >click to read< 13:38

After Proposing A Five-Week Cut, Florida Cuts Stone Crab Season By Two Weeks

After originally threatening to shorten the stone crab season by five weeks, the commission conceded to complaints in a virtually held meeting on Wednesday and shortened the season by only two weeks, with a new end date of May 1. The new rules go into effect Oct. 1. The commission finalized its rules after hosting a series of virtual workshops since June with industry stakeholders, who widely criticized the agency’s original proposals. On Wednesday, commissioners acknowledged that the new rules, even with a May 1 end of season, would succeed in keeping more than 300,000 pounds of stone crabs from being harvested, which should surpass the agency’s goal of saving 1 million pounds of stone crabs from harvest over a five-year period. >click to read< 07:58

“I’m in fear of my livelihood,” “They really don’t listen to us.” Florida shortens stone crab season over industry objections

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the shortened season and other new limits are necessary to sustain Florida stone crabs,,,    The agency’s scientists said many crabs don’t survive their claws being removed, and crabs have been overharvested since the late 1990s. Its data, challenged as inaccurate by the industry, showed the fewest pounds of stone crab claws harvested since 1986 during the season that ended last year.  Wholesale claw prices in some areas have tanked from low demand, as diners avoid restaurants and consumers reduce spending amid concerns about the economy. The commission said Gov. Ron DeSantis may reduce the amount of money crabbers must pay for next season’s trap certificates as part of a crab-industry bailout related to the virus. >click to read or listen< 15:14

Florida Man Sentenced for Killing Endangered Sawfish

Chad Ponce, a 38-year old commercial fisherman, is facing 2 years probation, 80 hours of community service and a $2,000 fine for killing an endangered smalltooth sawfish. A judge determined this sentence on December 19, 2019, after a joint investigation by NOAA Fisheries and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) confirmed Ponce used a power saw to cut the rostrum (saw or bill) off of the live fish before discarding its body back into the ocean. >click to read< 08:35

Florida Keys Fisherman Can’t Dip A Toe In Keys Waters For Five Years

A commercial fisherman in the Florida Keys has been sentenced in a case involving undersized lobster. The sentence also keeps him out of the water for quite some time. Alfredo Gonzalez was the captain of the lobster boat Perseverance when Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers stopped the vessel off the Gulf side of Marathon on Jan. 13, 2018.  >click to read< 11:51

The mullet are runnin’

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Cortez. Around this time of year, the mullet run in local waters and commercial fishers give chase. “The mullet run is a term used to describe the spawning migration,”,, Like other fish from rivers, estuaries and bays, mullet congregate and then run in schools to offshore environments to complete the spawning cycle. John Banyas, owner of Swordfish Grill & Tiki Bar, N.E. Taylor Boatworks, Killer Bait and the Cortez Bait and Seafood fish house on the waterfront in Cortez, says this year’s run is “better than last year.” >click to read< 13:40

Net ban at 25: Still stings, still opposed

Red tide, blue-green algae, global warming, sea rise, sewage spills and oil spills combined don’t antagonize commercial fishermen as much as one single, 25-year-old subject. On election day in 1994, Florida voters passed a state constitutional amendment banning Florida commercial fishermen from using gill nets. The law made any commercial fisherman in the state an outlaw who used a gill net to catch mullet, as fishing families had done for generations. >click to read< 08:30

Hit-or-miss hauls end another unpredictable Florida stone crab season

“We knew guys who were fishing 500 traps and would catch less than six or seven pounds,” Gandy said. “Lots of (crabbers) just didn’t do it this year.” Meanwhile, those crabbing to the north, from around New Port Richey to the panhandle, saw some giant hauls, especially early in the season, which started in October. The director of one commercial fishing association described Florida’s season overall as “pretty disastrous,” unless you were between Hudson and Crystal River where “they were breaking records.” “What’s crazy is the rest of the world had a horrible crab season,” >click to read<12:57

FWC: Man selling bait without license jumped in water during arrest near Fort DeSoto

A St. Petersburg man is facing several charges after officers say he jumped off a boat to resist being arrested by state wildlife officials. Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were out near Fort DeSoto and Bunce’s Pass Saturday when the incident happened. According to an arrest report, the officers were trying to conduct a commercial fisheries inspection involving 39-year-old Ryan Rauch. >click to read<10:49

Florida Digests Worst Stone Crab Season In Decade

Florida’s worst stone crab season in recent memory closed last week marked by a lower-than-normal catch of the flaky, sweet crustaceans in many parts of the state and higher prices for consumers. Co-owner Stephen Sawitz of the iconic Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami Beach, which recently celebrated its 105th season, said his business felt the pinch all season long.,,, Joe’s is a good barometer of the industry,,, Rich Tradition, Red Tide, Frozen Vs. Fresh, New Crab On Menu, >Video, click to read<16:07

Fake lobster-tag case leads to arrests in Florida Keys

Florida fisheries investigators have made at least two arrests following a long inquiry into the sale of counterfeit lobster trap tags required by law for commercial anglers to do business in the state. The suspected ringleader is a Palmetto Bay woman who is the registered agent of more than 50 active and inactive commercial fishing operations in Florida. She was arrested Monday in the Florida Keys on racketeering and fraud charges. Elena P. Reyes, 67, is being held in Monroe County jail on a total bond of $892,500. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigators also arrested Michael Enrique Sanchez,

Florida Shrimp Boat Deck-Hand Arrested For Undersized Lobster Tails

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, officers boarded the commercial shrimp boat Three Princess off Key West on November 28. While onboard, the officers found three large sacks of spiny lobster hidden beneath sacks of shrimp in the below-deck freezer. In total, there were 101 spiny lobster, and 33 of them were undersized. A deck-hand admitted to harvesting all of the lobster, without the other deck-hands knowledge. The crewmember was arrested and booked into the Monroe County Detention facility on numerous misdemeanor charges. >click to read<09:29