Florida News Straight From the Source
Congressman John Rutherford (FL-04) announces the dates for a limited opening of recreational and commercial red snapper seasons in South Atlantic federal waters. This season is a result of the National Marine Fisheries Service’s approval of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Amendment 43, which authorized a 2018 red snapper season after a recent study showed an increase in the red snapper population. [Read more…] about Snapper Season 2018 Dates Announced
The following species will reopen to recreational harvest May 1 in Florida state and federal waters of the Atlantic: hogfish; gag, black, red, yellowmouth and yellowfin grouper; scamp; red hind; rock hind; coney; and graysby.
Hogfish will remain open through Oct. 31, 2018, on the east coast of Florida as well as south and east of Cape Sable on the Gulf coast. The other species will remain open through Dec. 31, 2018, on the east coast of Florida and all state waters off Monroe County.
More information about hogfish and grouper bag and size limits, gear restrictions and fishing seasons, including a map of the Atlantic and Gulf grouper fishing boundaries, is available online at MyFWC.com/Fishing; select “Saltwater Fishing” then “Recreational Regulations.”
Recreational harvest of gray triggerfish will remain closed in Gulf state and federal waters through Feb. 28, 2018, reopening March 1. The season will also close June 1 through July 31.
When the season reopens, the daily recreational bag limit will be one fish per person (lowered from two fish earlier this year), and the minimum size limit will be 15 inches fork length (increased from 14 inches fork length earlier this year). Similar changes were approved for Gulf federal waters.
These changes should help maintain fishing opportunities for gray triggerfish in state and federal waters for 2018 and the future.
For more information on gray triggerfish, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater Fishing,” “Recreational Regulations” and “Triggerfish.”
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam invites Florida’s wounded veterans to register for upcoming outdoor recreational events across the state through the “Operation Outdoor Freedom” program. In the next three months, there are more than a dozen recreational events, like hunting and fishing, available to wounded veterans across Florida. Since the program was launched in 2011, more than 2,500 wounded veterans have participated in “Operation Outdoor Freedom” events at no cost.
Eligible veterans can visit OperationOutdoorFreedom.com today to register for upcoming events, and additional information on each event can be found here.
“Operation Outdoor Freedom is a special way of connecting the natural resources our state is blessed with to the men and women who’ve courageously and selflessly put their lives on the line,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam. “It’s the least we can do for those who have done so much for us.”
The Florida Forest Service, a division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, organizes and hosts events where participants can fish, hunt, boat and more. Outdoor excursions are held regularly on state forests and private lands throughout Florida and are funded through private donations. Upcoming activities include turkey, hog and deer hunts ranging from North Florida to South Florida. Other events held throughout the year include: alligator and deer hunts, quail hunts, fishing, kayaking and canoeing.
Visit OperationOutdoorFreedom.com for more information about how Operation Outdoor Freedom is working to honor Florida’s wounded veterans and how to get involved. All funding for Operation Outdoor Freedom is generated through private donations and support.
