FLORIDA SALTWATER RECREATIONAL 2015 FISHING REGULATIONS READY FOR LOBSTER SEASON? page 18 NEW! FWC Licensing Phone App Improving Gulf Reef Fish Data page 10 page 15 Saltwater Angler Photos page 19 Applies to Florida State Waters of the Gulf and Atlantic | Issued: July 1, 2015 Search MyFWC on Social Media Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Please visit MyFWC.com/Fishing/Saltwater/Recreational for the most current regulations YOUR FISHING SEASON STARTS HERE SHOP DICKS.COM/FISHING Limit one coupon per customer. Minimum purchase of $50 before sales tax. Total amount of coupon must be redeemed at one time. Cannot be VALID 6/30/15 THROUGH 12/30/15 combined with any other offers, coupons, team discounts or Guaranteed In-Stock markdowns, or used for licenses or previously purchased merchandise. Coupon valid in-store only. Not redeemable for cash, gift cards or store credit. No reproductions or rain checks accepted. Returns or exchanges where a ScoreCard Reward or other discount was applied may result in an adjusted refund amount. Excludes purchases of gift cards, fi rearms, ammunition, Shimano, St. Croix, G. Loomis, Eureka!, Leupold, Gregory, Hurley, O’Neill, Diamondback, Under Armour, The North Face, Patagonia, Burton, Marmot, Columbia, Volcom, Simms, Thule, Van Staal $ and Yakima, Megabass, GoPro, Garmin, Fuji, Mongoose, Rollerblade, Descente, Prana, Benchmade, Camelbak, Kelty, Merrell, Yeti, Liquid Force, Kwik Tek, Teeter, Yvolution, Wenonah, Weber, Thermos, RAVE Sports, P00022514 Hurricane Kayaks, Sportube, Henderson Wetsuits, FLOW, Arena, Advanced Elements, Swarovski Optik, Zeiss, K2 Snowboards, Atlas Snowshoes, TAKE Tubbs Snowshoes, MSR, Therm-A-Rest, Seal Line, Platypus, Ecase, PackTowl and 10 OFF Humminbird. Excludes clearance items. YOUR NEXT FISHING, HUNTING AND Clearance items have .x3 or .x7 endings. Some additional exclusions may apply. See store or visit Dicks.com for details. CAMPING PURCHASE OF $50 OR MORE Valid 6/30/15 through 12/30/15. FISHING REGULATIONS Contact us Go to MyFWC.com for up-to-date infor- mation on recreational saltwater fishing regulations, news and events as well as resources, publications and videos. Visit the FWC’s Fish and Wildlife CONTENTS Research Institute online at MyFWC.com/Research For federal fishing regulations, please contact: ■ Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council 888-833-1844 www.gulfcouncil.org ■ South Atlantic Fishery Management Council 866-SAFMC-10 www.safmc.net ■ National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) 727-824-5301 www.nmfs.noaa.gov Eszter Keresztes For additional information 2015 FWC Commission New Grand Slam Challenges ..................... 9 Meeting Dates and Locations................... 4 please contact: Improving Gulf Reef Fish Data ................ 10 Florida Fish and Wildlife Saltwater Fishing Shows and Events ........ 4 Basic Regulations: Conservation Commission 2015 License Free Fishing Days ............... 4 Reef Fish and Pelagics ....................11–12 MyFWC.com Division of Marine Fisheries Management Message from Marine Fisheries Coastal Species ................................... 13 Management Director Jessica McCawley .....6 2590 Executive Center Circle East Unregulated Species ............................ 13 Berkeley Building FWC Offices ............................................. 6 Crustaceans and Mollusks .................... 14 Tallahassee, Florida 32301 850-487-0554 Know Your Management Zones ................ 8 Sharks and Prohibited Species .............. 14 New FWC Licensing Phone App .............. 15 Recreational Gear and Spearing ........16–17 Wildlife alert Ready for Lobster Season? ..................... 18 reward program Marine Life Regulations ......................... 20 Report fish and wildlife law violations by calling toll-free 1-888-404-FWCC Grand Slams and State Records ............. 21 (3922); on cell phones, dial *FWC or #FWC depending on service carrier; or Saltwater Fishing License click MyFWC.com/Contact. For more and Exemptions ..................................... 22 information, see page 24. FWC Division of Law Enforcement .......... 24 Buy your license online! On the cover When you buy your You can obtain a license 24 hours a Noah Bingham with spiny lobster day at License.MyFWC.com Photograph by Dave Bingham license online, it’s fast, and begin fishing immediately! Have a picture for the cover? convenient and saves Licenses are also available toll-free at Please send your photographs to: time and travel. 1-888-FISHFLORIDA (1-888-347-4356). [email protected]. Processing fees apply to telephone and Internet sales. 2 July 1, 2015 GREAT GEAR, RIGHT HERE! West Marine is the one-stop source for all of the best brands in fishing! Destin Tallahassee Jacksonville Flagship Panama City Daytona Beach St. Petersburg Ft. Pierce Flagship Sarasota N. Palm Beach Flagship Flagship Ft. Myers Ft. Lauderdale Flagship Flagship Over 50 stores to serve you in Florida! For the location nearest you, or to Key West shop 24/7, go to westmarine.com GENERAL INFORMATION FLORIDA SALTWATER RECREATIONAL 2015 Introduction FISHING REGULATIONS This publication is provided as a guide to Florida fishing laws and regulations. The Florida READY FOR Administrative Code is the final authority on fishing laws. The Florida Fish and Wildlife LOBSTER SEASON? page 18 Conservation Commission (FWC) strives to ensure information in this booklet is accurate, but assumes no liability for any errors that occur in this publication. Contact the FWC if you have any questions on issues not covered in this booklet. A continuously updated electronic version of this publication is available at MyFWC.com/Fishing by clicking on "Saltwater" and "Recreational Regulations." NEW! FWC Licensing Improving Gulf Reef Fish Data page 10 Phone App page 15 How your license fee helps Saltwater Angler Photos page 19 Applies to Florida State Waters of the Gulf and Atlantic | Issued: July 1, 2015 The money collected from saltwater fishing licenses is used to improve and restore fish habitat Search MyFWC on Social Media Florida Fish and Wildlife and for marine fisheries research, law enforcement and public education on marine resources. Conservation Commission Please visit MyFWC.com/Fishing/Saltwater/Recreational An additional $.50 fee will be charged for any license or permit not purchased directly from the for the most current regulations county tax collector. Obtain immediate license privileges, 24 hours a day, at License.MyFWC.com or by calling toll-free 888-FISH-FLORIDA (347-4356). Processing fees will apply to telephone and Internet sales. About this Guide 2015 Commission meeting dates and locations This high-quality regulation guide is offered to Subject to change regarding availability of appropriate facilities to hold the meeting. you by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation ■ September 2–3, 2015 — Weston, FL Commission’s Division of Marine Fisheries ■ November 18–19, 2015 — Panama City, FL Management through its unique partnership with J.F. Griffin Publishing, LLC. For more information about Commission meeting dates, times, locations and agendas, visit our J.F. Griffin is an award winning publishing house website at MyFWC.com and click on “About" and "Commission Meetings” on the top of the page. that specializes in producing state fish & wildlife regulation books. J.F. Griffin supports the FWC staff in the design, layout and editing of the guides. They also manage the marketing and 2015 Shows and Events sales of advertising to appropriate businesses within the book. Visit the FWC booth at these upcoming events to pick up your copy of the The revenue generated through ad sales Recreational Saltwater Fishing Regulations and Fishing Lines: Angler’s Guide to significantly lowers production costs and Florida’s Marine Resources. For more information call 850-487-0554 or visit generates savings. These savings translate into MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on "Saltwater" and "Outreach and Education Programs." additional funds for other important fisheries and habitat programs. Keys/SE Florida East Coast Women's Fishing Clinics Summer Workshops Summer Workshops July 11, Panama City If you have any feedback or are interested in July 6, Key West July 20, Stuart Aug. 22, Fernandina Beach advertising, please contact us at 413.884.1001 or July 7, Islamorada July 21, Fort Pierce Oct. 10, St. Petersburg online at www.JFGriffin.com July 8, Miami/Coral Gables July 22, Cocoa Florida Sportsman Expo July 9, Jupiter July 23, Daytona/ Graphic Design: Sept. 12–13, Tampa Ormond Beach Jon Gulley, Dane Fay, Southwest Coast FWRI's Marine Quest Evelyn Haddad, Chris Sobolowski Other Summer Summer Workshops Oct. 17, St. Petersburg July 6, Naples Workshops July 7, Punta Gorda July 27, Tallahassee July 8, St. Pete (at FWRI) Webinar July 9, Crystal River July 28 or 29, Carabelle 430 Main St. Suite 5 | Williamstown, MA 01267 July 30, Jacksonville Panhandle/Big Bend J.F. Griffin Publishing, LLC is proud to print the Summer Workshops Kids' Fishing Clinics official Florida Saltwater Fishing Regulations July 13, Pensacola July 18, Palm Coast on post-consumer recycled paper. July 14, Destin Sept. 19, Sarasota July 15, Panama City Oct. 10, Naples July 16, Steinhatchee Nov. 7, Steinhatchee Dec. 5, Juno Beach available online in a new Digital Edition! Fully searchable Email pages Live hyperlinks to One-click printing 2015 License-Free expanded content Saltwater Fishing Days! • September 5 • November 28 4 July 1, 2015 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission the only stop for all your OUTDOOR NEEDS