FACTS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO. Additional rules and measuring information found in Rules For All Seasons & Measuring Lobster sections of this brochure. FLORIDA KEYS AREAS/ZONES CLOSED TO HARVEST OF SPINY LOBSTER LOBSTER REGULATIONS FLORIDA KEYS NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY JOHN PENNEKAMP Includes Mini Sport Season CLOSED ZONES (YEAR-ROUND) CORAL REEF STATE (MARKED BY 30” YELLOW BOUNDARY BUOY) PARK (JPCRSP) Sanctuary Preservation Areas Ecological Reserves Special-use Research JPCRSP is Closed (SPAs) Western Sambo, Only Areas (No entry) for Sport Season Carysfort Reef, The Elbow, Tortugas Ecological Conch Reef, All of JPCRSP is closed Key Largo Dry Rocks, Grecian Reserve North Tennessee Reef, during the 2-day Sport Rocks, French Reef, Molasses and South Looe Key Patch Reef, Season for the harvest of Reef, Conch Reef, Davis Reef, (refer to GPS coordinates, Eastern Sambo. any lobster species. Hen and Chickens, Cheeca Rocks, not marked). Year-Round Coral Rule: Alligator Reef, Coffins Patch, No person shall harvest Sombrero Key, Newfound Harbor any lobster species from Key, Looe Key, Eastern Dry Rocks, or within any coral Rock Key, Sand Key. formation (patch reef) regardless of its proximity Other Closed Areas (Year-Round) to or exclusion from a Lobster Exclusion Zone. Everglades National Park Biscayne Bay Card Sound Spiny City of Layton Lobster Sanctuary JPCRSP Lobster Dry Tortugas National Park Artificial Habitat Exclusion Zones: Biscayne National Park Coral Reef in State Waters Closed year-round. Protection Areas Marked by Orange/White Spar buoys, found at: Spanish and Slipper Lobster Closed Areas Turtle Rocks, Basin Hills Spanish and Slipper Lobster are closed year-round North, Basin Hills East, to harvest in Key Largo and Looe Key Existing Management Areas, Basin Hills South, Higdon’s Reef, Cannon all FKNMS zones listed above in this table, Everglades Patch, Mosquito Bank KeysLobsterSeason.com & Dry Tortugas National Parks. North, Mosquito Bank Southeast, Three Sisters LET IT GO. NOTE - Coral is protected from damage/removal in state and federal waters. North, Three Sisters South. LET IT GROW SPINY LOBSTER LOCAL ORDINANCES REGULAR & 2-DAY SPORT SEASON Local Rule: No snorkeling or diving within 300 ft. of improved residential or commercial shoreline or any man-made or private canal, or any public or private marina. This rule is in effect according to the information provided below. Islamorada Marathon Key Colony Beach Unincorporated Monroe County, Layton, Key West Applies during the 3 Applies only Applies only during Applies during the 3 days preceding days preceding Sport during 4 days preceding Sport Season, the entirety of Sport Season Season, the entirety of Sport Season. Sport Season and and the first 5 days of Regular Season. Sport Season and continues until 10 Exception: an owner diving and snorkeling in front the first 5 days of days have elapsed of his/her property to the center line of the canal Regular Season. after the opening or open water. Layton has a prohibition on 1.800.fla.keys fla-keys.com of Regular Season. harvesting lobster any time from waters within city limits. Everyone loves Panulirus argus, Florida’s spiny SPINY LOBSTER REGULATIONS lobster. And for two days every July, these tasty morsels become the quarry du jour in The 2-DAY SPORT REGULAR Florida Keys. But Lobster Mini Sport Season is Coral is protected from damage and removal in (MINI) SEASON SEASON state and federal waters. Do NOT touch, hold on to, by no means a 48-hour free-for-all. There are stand on, break, anchor on, flip over or otherwise clear guidelines designed to make the hunt STAY LEGAL. Lobster mini-season Aug. 6 - March 31. harm coral. It is a fragile living animal. Season fun, safe – and legal. If everyone plays by Dates takes place on the Begins 12:01 am STAY SAFE. last consecutive Aug. 6 and the rules, we can all enjoy these delectable Egg-bearing (berried) lobster regardless of 1 species must be released unharmed. Stripping Wednesday and ends 12:00 mid- crustaceans for years to come. Size matters: Use a gauge Thursday in July. night March 31. and know how to measure. egg-bearing females of eggs, and possession of It begins 12:01 am on spiny or ridged slipper lobster tails from which Local, state and federal agencies strictly enforce eggs have been removed, are prohibited. Eggs Day 1 and ends 12:00 2 Six means six. midnight on Day 2. lobster harvest and boating safety regulations. are an orange, yellow, brown, or red mass found Bag limit = 6 per person per day. covering the underside of the lobster’s tail. MEASURING LOBSTER. 3 Don’t forget your boating Dive Flag: All divers and snorkelers in the water are • No person shall harvest or attempt to harvest safety gear. required to prominently display a diver down flag. spiny lobster by diving unless they possess, while In navigation channels, divers should stay within 100 6 per recreational harvester per day in Bag Limit in the water, a gauge made for measuring lobster. 4 Avoid closed areas. feet of their dive flag and vessels should stay 100 Monroe County & Biscayne National Park. feet away from any dive flag. On open water, divers • All lobster must be measured in the water, 5 should stay within 100 yards of their boat’s dive if harvested by diving. Display a dive flag. Always. flag and vessels should stay 100 yards away from 6 boats flying dive flags. Vessels within any of those Possession The 2-day limit 6 per recreational • Lobster carapace must be greater than Touching or anchoring your boat distances must slow to idle speed (no faster than is limit off of 12 per recreational harvester per day. three (3) inches to be harvested or possessed. on coral is prohibited -- be aware! necessary to maintain headway and steerage). harvester in Monroe the water All undersized lobsters must be County and adjacent released unharmed. “Bully-netting” is using a circular frame attached at federal waters can Measurement begins a right angle to the end of a pole and supporting a only be possessed at the forward edge RULES FOR ALL SEASONS. conical bag of webbing. Possession of bully nets is when transporting between the rostral prohibited in Everglades National Park (Florida Bay). your catch by car horns, excluding Possession: Lobster must be of legal size before on, or after, the any soft tissue, and they are in possession. NOTE: You may not have “Hoop-netting” is using a frame, circular or second day. proceeds along lobster in your possession in Everglades National otherwise, supporting a shallow bag of webbing the middle to the Park (Florida Bay). and suspended by a line and bridles. Possession of rear edge of the hoop nets is prohibited in Everglades National Park carapace. Bag Limits: The federal bag limit cannot be (Florida Bay). combined with the state bag limit. In addition, Minimum Carapace must be larger than 3 inches • All recreationally people who are NOT actively harvesting or are not Artificial Habitat in State Waters: Placing artificial Size and must be measured in the water. harvested lobster properly licensed (when a license is required) may habitat or harvesting lobster from artificial habitat is Possession and use of a measuring must remain whole NOT be counted for purpose of bag limits. prohibited. Artificial habitat is any material placed device is required. while at sea. in the waters of the state that is reasonably suited to License Requirements: Recreational harvesters providing cover and habitat for spiny lobster. Such • Tails can only be are required to possess a valid Florida Saltwater material may be constructed of, but is not limited separated on land. Fishing License with a current spiny lobster permit. to, wood, metal, fiberglass, concrete, or plastic, or Diving NOT permitted in Permitted When the tail is Consult your license agent for exemptions. any combination thereof, and may be fabricated for at Night Monroe County. separated from this specific purpose or for some other purpose. Note: Night is 1 hour the body, it Gear: Harvesting or attempting to harvest spiny Artificial habitat does not include fishing gear after official sunset must be greater lobster using any device that will or could puncture, allowed by FWC or artificial to 1 hour before than 5-1/2 inches. penetrate or crush the exoskeleton (shell) or the reefs permitted by official sunrise. flesh of the lobster is prohibited. Florida DEP or Army Corps. Commercial Lobster Traps and Ghost Traps: NOTE - Egg-bearing lobsters regardless of species It is a felony to molest, damage, or take lobster must be released unharmed. from traps in state or federal waters. Recreational trapping is prohibited. .