FWC needs to simplify regulations
The FWC catch and release orders that were imposed on the southwest coast of Florida dealing with the dire effects of the last serious outbreak of red tide were necessary in my opinion. All of our inshore species were in peril, but the top three game fish — snook, redfish and spotted sea trout — were in need of special consideration.
As things played out over time, the line of demarcation ended up at the SR 64 bridge in Manatee County and southward to Gordon Pass In Collier County. As is usually the case these days with the FWC, they just can't seem to make anything simple and easy to comprehend by the average Joe angler.
First off, they opened snook, redfish and trout to legal harvest north of SR 64, opened trout south of 64 but kept snook and redfish closed. In the meantime, snook closed on May 1 statewide. All of this was supposed to go bye-bye next week on May 31 and everything return to normal.
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However, in their infinite wisdom, the FWC has extended the catch/release order south of SR 64 until Aug. 31. Thing is, trout are legal and snook are closed for the summer so that only leaves redfish. But you can keep a redfish north of SR 64 as long as you don't bring it back south.
Anyhow, normal trout regulations are to resume with the addition of a six-fish recreational vessel limit. The daily bag limit for trout is three fish per person per day. That is if you are in a boat with one other person. Any more than that and you are done. One upside to this is it prevents the captain and crew on a charter from contributing to the catch.
Commercial fishers are also being held to the same three-fish bag and six-fish vessel limit. These regulations apply to all waters south of the SR 64 bridge including Palma Sola Bay.
Florida is a big state and many of our fish range the length and breadth of the state, so some micro-management is bound to happen and should. The fisheries management folks really need to keep simplicity as a priority.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: FWC needs to simplify regulations
