Tag Archives: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Pompano Beach seafood purveyor conspired to sell live spiny lobster caught in the Florida Keys to China
The government alleges in the 6-page document that Eric Berman conspired with at least one other person “known to the U.S. Attorney’s Office” to package and ship live lobster harvested in Monroe County to Hong Kong, China, via Miami International Airport. Read more here 16:39
Record Prices For Stone Crab Claws Amid Scarcity
Florida Keys-based 
tells The Key West Citizen that fish houses paid $25 to $30 a pound for jumbo-sized claws, $18 to $21 a pound for large claws and $8 to $11 a pound for medium claws. Read more here 10:40
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Division of Law Enforcement busy with a series of commercial fishing violations.
Officer Allen was on water patrol on the Apalachicola River when he observed a vessel operating without navigational lights pull into some sawgrass in an attempt to conceal the boat. He followed the vessel into,, Read more here apalatchtimes.com 14:42
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission taking a longer look at regulating sea-cucumber take
On second thought, the state’s proposed limit on taking sea cucumbers has been pushed further down the calendar. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission initially decided at its Feb. 12 meeting to follow the agency’s staff recommendation for a boat limit of 200 animals per day for sea cucumbers, to become effective April 1. Read [email protected] 17:53
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission limits take of sea cucumbers to 200 a day
Operators of a Ramrod Key processing facility for sea cucumbers came up short in their appeal to Florida’s fishery managers Wednesday. Agreeing with concerns of agency staff and licensed marine-life collectors, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission unanimously approved a 200-animal daily boat limit of sea cucumbers beginning April Link 1. 19:02
“We really don’t know if the stock is rebuilt,” Roy Crabtree of the National Marine Fisheries Service – Goliath grouper could be placed back on the hook
The possible future of South Florida fishing rules, including the latest information on Goliath grouper populations, goes before combined panels of federal and state fishery experts convening Jan. 7-9 in Key Largo. “This is really interesting stuff,” said Robert Mahood, executive director of the federal South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. Read [email protected]” 01:15
Commercial stone crab fishing is off to a horrendous start this year – Fewer crabs, higher prices for claws
“It has been a disastrous start,” Key Fisheries owner Gary Graves said. “It is the highest prices on record. But the catch has been horrible. I am not very confident that this going to be a good year.” more@keysnews 06:18
Florida’s gill net rules hit a snag
Gill nets are back. After almost 20 years of being illegal, the controversial nets that entangle fish by the gills can once again be dragged through the Indian River Lagoon and other state waters. At least for now. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issued a memo Friday directing its officers to stop enforcing the 18-year-old gill net ban, after Leon County Judge Jackie Fulford had ordered as much. more@floridatoday 10:12
Leon Circuit Judge Jackie Fulford reaffirmed: Enforcement of ‘net ban’ back off for now
Fulford granted a request by attorneys for the Wakulla Commercial Fisherman’s Association, Panacea bait-and-tackle shop owner Ronald Fred Crum and mullet fishermen Jonas Porter and Keith Ward that she lift an automatic stay of her order triggered when FWC appealed it hours after being issued to the First District Court of Appeals. [email protected] 22:15
Cortez fishing community keeps fingers crossed after judge’s ruling against gill net ban
CORTEZ — Karen Bell doesn’t throw anything away in her office at A.P. Bell Fish Co., the hulking gray landmark on the southwest corner of the historic fishing village. She has old mending needles and compasses and sounding equipment used by generations of commercial fishermen. [email protected] 07:20
Undersized oysters, undersized greater amberjack, possession in a prohibited area from Apalachicola Bay
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers within Franklin County are continuing to address the illegal harvest of undersized oysters from Apalachicola Bay. more@thetimes 17:10
For Florida’s blue crab trappers, it’s been a good year; and that is excellent news for diners
As pre-dawn glowed fiery orange over the Caloosahatchee River, commercial fishermen Joe Williamson and Kevin Killian pulled their first blue crab trap of the day. Inside was a single, medium-size, No. 2 crab, worth $1 a pound — male crabs at least 6.5 inches from point to point across the shell are No. 1s, worth $2 a pound. “That’s not what we’re looking for, is it, Kev-o?” Williamson said. The second trap brought up a couple more No. 2s, but the third trap had eight No. 1s. “That’s a money trap,” Killian said. more@therepublic 10:16
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is laying the blame – Oystermen React to the Report
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is laying the blame for the oyster crisis in Franklin County, squarely on the US Army Corps of Engineers. In their final report this week to the National Marine Fisheries, wildlife experts say the lack of fresh water coming out of the Apalachicola River is killing the oysters in Apalachicola bay. @wghj
A poaching commercial fishing captain who reeled in hundreds of yellowtail snapper from a marine reserve get’s jail time
Evelio Lazar Egusquiza Fornes, 49, of Miami was arrested Feb. 12 after Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers found his yellowtail boat, the Candelaria, with lines in the water inside the Tortugas Ecological Reserve. continued@keysnet
Hammerhead shark protection debated – National Marine Fisheries Service pushed by WildEarth Guardians and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
A proposal to protect the great hammerhead shark has sparked a debate over whether federal protection is necessary to conserve a majestic ocean predator or whether this would just impose an unnecessary burden on the fishing industry. continued@sunsentinal
SW Florida blue crab trap closure starts July 10
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is requiring recreational and commercial blue crab traps in state waters, from the Palm Beach-Broward county line to the Pasco-Hernando county line, be removed from the water 
before July 10. [email protected]
House Natural Resources Committee examines red snapper fishery
WASHINGTON — A House committee on Thursday tackled the difficult challenge of balancing commercial and recreational demands on the Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery. Republican Rep. Steve Southerland of Florida criticized the way NOAA officials have managed red snapper, especially their proposed Days-at-Sea Program for Charter-for-Hire.Southerland raised a hypothetical scenario in which 20 charter boats are granted permits while 60 are not. continued@newspress
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approves easier-to-follow marine fisheries regulations
Marine fisheries regulations will soon be easier to read, understand and enforce. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at its June 12 meeting in Lakeland approved a proposal that will revise marine fisheries information in portions of 68B of the Florida Administrative Code, providing consistency among regulations and clarifying complex and confusing language. These changes go into effect Sept. 1. continued@browardnet
Two Hialeah men arrested on charges of poaching 468 lobsters
Two Hialeah men have been popped on charges of poaching 468 Florida spiny lobsters out of season, more than half of them undersized. continued @ MiamiHerald.com
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were busy busting poachers during the “For Future Generations,” operation
keysnews.com – State fishery managers have wrapped up a more than month-long mutton snapper spawn operation in which 52 vessels were inspected and 15 misdemeanor fishing violations and 12 routine boating citations were issued. continued
Florida Fisherman found dead in Osceola lake
Orlando Sentinel – An Osceola County commercial fisherman died late Monday or early Tuesday when he fell overboard while trying to untangle nylon fishing lines, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said. continued
Stone crab season closes May 16 in Florida
The commercial and recreational harvest of stone crab claws in Florida closes on May 16, with the last day of harvest on May 15. This closure occurs each year during the species’ peak spawning season to help protect and sustain Florida’s valuable stone crab resource. Stone crab season will reopen on Oct. 15. continued
Popular red snapper makes a comeback
South Florida Sun-Sentinel – WASHINGTON – Over 18 years of running Old Dixie Seafood in Boca Raton, Larry Siemsen has seen supplies of locally caught red snapper dwindle and prices double, thanks to decades of over-fishing and recent federal restrictions to help the popular fish recover. But now the red snapper is making a comeback near Florida’s shores, saved by those strict federal limits. And Florida anglers, state officials and boat captains — who say they’re finding far more big, healthy snappers – are clamoring for looser limits on this favorite for catching and eating. Not so fast, conservationists say continued
More Red Snapper – Local organization urges comment on snapper management
The News Herald – While the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission pursues a longer 44-day season in state waters, officials with the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council answered back with a shorter 21-day snapper season for Florida’s federal waters, which begin nine miles offshore. continued
Two commercial fishermen face 1,300 fishing violations
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commissionwere charged with a total of more than 1,300 conservation violations Tuesday after being found inside a no-take zone in the Dry Tortugas, marine law-enforcement officers report. Both men were cited for harvesting 664 yellowtail snapper — one misdemeanor count for each fish — seized from the commercial boat Candelaria, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Read more here
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approves changes to rebuild Gulf gray triggerfish population
One condition of the federal reef fish permit is that harvesters must follow federal reef fish rules, even when they are fishing in state waters. This means that when the new federal commercial trip limit and closed season take effect sometime in April or May, harvesters in state waters must abide by these rules. Read more here
Panhandle Blue Crab Trap Closure Starts January 5th
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Release Read More
