State fishery managers balked at a proposal to implement a tag system for the annual two-day spiny lobster mini-season and limit the amount of divers who could participate in the
Despite being split as a board, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission agreed to move forward with a plan to allow limited harvest of Goliath grouper, which has been closed to harvest since 1990.
Commissioners Rodney Barreto, Robert Spottswood and Gary Lester seemed to favor reopening the fishery to a limited harvest, while commissioners Mike Sole, Steve Hudson and Gary Nicklaus argued against it at this time. Commissioner Sonya Rood opposed allowing harvest of Goliath groupers from artificial wrecks and spawning areas that are home to large concentrations of lumbering fish can weigh in excess off 300 pounds.
However, the commission voted, with Sole being the lone dissenter, to move forward with allowing a strictly regulated and severely limited harvest of the species. Nicklaus and Hudson said they voted only to bring the issue back for the board for further discussion.
State fisheries managers voted earlier this week to keep closed the snook and redfish seasons in much of Southwest Florida for another year.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted to extend the harvest ban for the two prized species through May of 2022.
“The commission understands the significance and importance of this fishery for the southwest region, FWC vice chair Mike Sole said during the meeting. You can hear a lot of diversity in the public stakeholder positions on this issue, but I think we found the right path as an interim step. It is going to be important though, in my opinion, to consider long-term management of snook and redfish.”
Ban on oyster harvesting is latest blow to Apalachicola Bay communities
Craig Patrick reports
EASTPOINT, Fla. - In 2018, fires wiped out dozens of homes and businesses in the north Florida town of Eastpoint on the Apalachicola Bay. The state government ordered a controlled burn they could not control.
Then by 2019, the victims learned state lawmakers had weakened protections for fire victims making it harder for the families to recover.
By the end of 2020, COVID-19 took off, making the area among the hardest hit in the nation. Around one in nine residents was infected.
And in 2021, the heart of their economy will be gone.