The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will meet at the Doubletree Grand Key Resort at Key West Dec. 3-4, 2008.
The agenda is a full one. On day two, Thursday Dec. 4, they will have final public meetings on a number of items of interest both to commercial and recreational fishers in the State of Florida.
A final public hearing on proposed rule amendments for gag and red grouper in Gulf of Mexico state waters is on Thursday’s agenda. These proposals would reduce the recreational bag limit for Gulf gag grouper from five fish to two fish daily per person, prohibit the recreational harvest of Gulf gag grouper from Feb. 1 through March 31 and increase the recreational bag limit for Gulf red grouper from one fish to two fish daily per person.
Another final public hearing will take place on proposed rule amendments that would increase the recreational minimum size limit for greater amberjack from 28 to 30 inches fork length and increase the commercial and recreational minimum size limit for gray triggerfish from 12 to 14 inches fork length in Gulf state waters.
In other marine fisheries action, the FWC will consider a draft rule amendment that would end the moratorium on the reduction of lobster trap certificates and provide that the number of trap certificates will be reduced by 10 percent to a purchaser only when they are sold or transferred to someone outside the immediate family of the certificate holder.
The Commission also will consider a series of draft rule amendments for the marine life (aquarium species) fishery. The proposed rules would add new fish and invertebrate species to marine life regulations, establish or change size and bag limits and gear specifications for several marine life species, and make other administrative and technical marine life rule changes.
In addition, the FWC will consider a draft rule that would establish six regional closed seasons around the state to the harvest of blue crabs with traps. These closures would extend for a period of up to 10 days each to help identify and retrieve lost and abandoned blue crab traps from Florida waters.
Complete FWC Press Release is here.
Complete Agenda is here.