FWC proposes more protection for bonefish
News Release
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Media contact: Lee Schlesinger, 850-487-0554
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission (FWC) proposed draft rule amendments Thursday to provide
more protection for bonefish, a premier saltwater game fish in
Florida.
"Bonefish are a tremendous Florida resource," said
FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto. "These proposed rules will
strengthen our management approach to protect and preserve bonefish
so that anglers can continue to enjoy fishing for this great
Florida game fish."
The proposed rules would include all species of
bonefish in the FWC's bonefish management rules to help ensure that
all bonefish in Florida waters are protected, extend FWC bonefish
regulations into adjacent federal waters to aid enforcement and
enhance bonefish protection, and require that bonefish be landed in
whole condition to help officers in the field identify bonefish and
aid in enforcement of bag and size limits.
Since 1988, it has been illegal to commercially
harvest and sell bonefish in Florida, and a daily recreational bag
limit of one bonefish 18 inches or greater in fork length
applies.
However, there is a temporary harvest and
possession prohibition on bonefish in Florida until April 1 as a
precaution, because of possible impacts to fish populations that
may have occurred from the recent prolonged cold weather in
Florida. Anglers may still catch and release bonefish during the
temporary closure, and the FWC encourages everyone to handle and
release them carefully to help ensure their survival upon
release.
A final public hearing on these proposed bonefish
rule amendments will take place during the FWC's April meeting in
the Tallahassee area.
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