As commercial fishermen and women begin to purchase their spiny lobster trap tags, this is a reminder that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has waived the $1 per trap spiny lobster trap tag fee for the 2018-2019 season. This waiver was approved at the December 2017 Commission meeting as an action in response to Hurricane Irma.
“Our hearts go out to the men and women who were impacted by Hurricane Irma. The commercial spiny lobster industry was severely impacted through the loss of traps during the height of the season. We hope this waiver will help the industry, which is one of the most economically important fisheries in Florida, get back to work,” said Jessica McCawley, director of the FWC’s Division of Marine Fisheries Management.
The commercial spiny lobster season is open from Aug. 6 through March 31 annually. While the tag fee for the 2018-2019 spiny lobster season is waived, commercial harvesters do need to submit the order for the tags and affix them to their traps prior to the August opening.
To access the Commercial Licensing System and to learn more, visit MyFWC.com/CLS.
Spiny lobster
FWC approves spiny lobster commercial bully net fishery changes
At its February meeting in Crystal River, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved several changes to the spiny lobster bully net fishery, including directing staff to launch a “Respectful Bully Netting” outreach campaign.
The FWC has received input from stakeholders about the increasing participation in the commercial bully net lobster fishery, and these changes will help address some of those concerns.
Changes to the commercial fishery effective May 1 will include:
- Creating an open-access commercial bully net lobster endorsement available to commercial fishers who hold a crawfish endorsement.
- Requiring commercial bully net vessels be marked with the harvester’s bully net endorsement number using reflective paint or other reflective material.
- Prohibiting trap pullers on commercial bully net vessels.
- Prohibiting the simultaneous possession of a bully net and any underwater breathing apparatus (not including dive masks or snorkels) aboard a vessel used to harvest or transport lobster for commercial purposes.
- Updating the definition of “commercial harvester” to include the bully net endorsement.
For information on commercial spiny lobster fishery regulations, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater Fishing,” “Commercial” and “Lobster.”
For more information on the presentation given to the Commission, visit MyFWC.com/Commission and select “Commission Meetings,” then click on the link below “Next Meeting.”
