NORTH MIAMI, FLA. (WSVN) – In anticipation of the annual lobster mini-season, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conversation Commission discussed several rules and regulations that harvesters and boaters must follow.
The two-day Spiny Lobster Sport Season starts on Wednesday. During a press conference on Tuesday, FWC officers, along with their partners, went over safety regulations.
“We encourage everyone to have a good time with their families but to do so safely,” said FWC Captain Rafael Almagro. “The bag limit during mini-season is six per person in Biscayne National Park and Monroe County. It’s 12 in the rest of the waters in the state of Florida.”
While harvesters will try to max out for the day, they must remember to measure their lobsters.
“That measurement should be a minimum of 3 inches,” Almagro said. “As you can tell, this one is very undersized.”
If the gauge measures past the carapace, they must leave those lobsters behind.
“We measure this one right in between the horns, all the way to the end of the carapace, and as you can tell, it stops, so this will be a keeper lobster,” Almagro said. “If you don’t measure in the water or you just throw them in the boat, there could be somebody that puts them in a cooler and you miss on measuring the lobster, and then you get back to shore, you can get stopped and you can receive a misdemeanor for the violation.”
For people participating in the mini-season, they must also check if the lobster has eggs.
Some other rules that must be followed include no hooking or spearing of any kind. For the captain behind the wheel of their boat, they must have a dive flag and remain vigilant.
“If possible, avoid all areas that have a high concentration of vessels and divers,” Almagro said. “Stay away from these dive flags, at least 300 feet in open waters and at least 100 feet in narrow channels.”
While there are several rules to follow, officials want people to have fun during the mini-season, while respecting the fisheries.
“To ensure that we have lobster for years to come and that our children can enjoy them one day,” Almagro said.
The regular Spiny Lobster Season starts on Aug. 6 and ends on March 31. For more information, click here.
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