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.”