Florida Laws on harvesting marine fish, inverts and pants

This info is the best. I live in orlando and constanly have the lfs telling me I will go to jail if I go get some livestock. I cannot wait for the next trip to the coast. THANK YOU.

 

wow! feel lucky, my mother told me that puerto rico has banned the collection of all marine life, huh! a reason for me to never go back, but to visit my family!

 

I have taken a few things home. A giant starfish (over a foot across) that I saved from the seagulls, a major sargent, anenomes and misc. crabs/snails. I am glad that I don't have to sneak around like a criminal.

 

I think the one thing to keep in mind here is not to collect at state parks.
The signs are very specific once entering a state park/beach of no collecting off the reefs, that meens anything on the reef from what the rangers told me.

if im wrong then tell me so i know. thanks.

 

Thank's nunch for this info it should be posted so everyone can see it. There is always debates like this on 3reef glad to see what's allowed and what isn't.

 

just a reminder - this thread is older, and new laws went into place July of 09', not the least of which being a pretty restricted recreational bag limit. You are only allowed 5 of any one species, 20 total organisms combined. Makes sense for fish, kind of rough for smaller inverts. Also earlier in the thread the use of a live well seemed optional. It isn't, you must run re-circulating water, everything must be landed and brought in live etc.... There are some other things like allowable gear changes for ricordea and what not, but most of it is the same, but I would check out the current as of July 2009 Saltwater Regs book here:
http://www.myfwc.com/docs/RulesRegulations/2009_July_RegsSummary_Newsletter.pdf

you are interested in page 14. the changes can seem rough on locals, but you can always revisit the spot a few times. make sure to actually go and get the license though.

 

Always good to know. The new regulations do seem rather harsh for locals, but I understand what they are trying to do.

 

well you know how florida is, have to regulate with the transient population in mind.

 

If you guys only knew the stuff I see around Key West, you'd move down today. Ricordias are around, but u can't get them without chipping live rock. And, it often makes me wonder about water quality issues. I know carpet anemones that are in shallow, nasty, temperature fluctuating water that thrive. Alleged sensitive hard corals and tunicates living in nasty marinas where boats scrub down with bleach, Joy detergent, and degreasers daily. And where the annual water temp goes from 85 to 60. It was 77 last week before this cold front, now the waters close to 68, and it will probably go back up again next week.

 

the keys are awesome...lucky $%$^$&. just kidding...

i always hear about the reefs declining in the area, but seems like their is life everywhere in the Keys...I saw a discarded boat engine there with coral growing all over it. the star coral seems to be the hardiest, that stuff is in what would seem to be bad locations.