December Brings Closure of Florida Snook Season in Atlantic
The recreational harvest of snook will close in all Atlantic waters, including the inland waters of Lake Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River, beginning Dec. 15, with the last day of harvest being Dec. 14. The season will reopen in the Atlantic’s state and federal waters Feb. 1, 2013.
Snook season is currently closed in Gulf of Mexico state and federal waters, and will remain closed through Aug. 31, 2013, to give the fish time to fully rebound from severe cold weather in 2010 that killed many snook.
The extended Gulf harvest closure will help protect snook populations this winter, when they are most vulnerable to cold weather, and give snook added protection during next spring and summer’s spawning months.
Anglers may still catch and release snook during the harvest closure, and the FWC encourages everyone to handle and release these fish carefully to help ensure their survival upon release.
Snook regulations, including a bag limit of one fish per person, per day and a slot limit of no less than 28 inches and no more than 32 inches, apply to snook harvested in both state and federal waters off Florida. No one may possess any snook caught during snook closed seasons.
For more information regarding the management of snook in Florida, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater Fishing,” “Recreational Regulations” and “Snook.”
The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission came into existence on July 1, 1999 - the result of a constitutional amendment approved in the 1998 General Election as part of the package proposed by the Constitution Revision Commission.
In the implementation of the Constitutional Amendment, the Florida Legislature combined all of the staff and Commissioners of the former Marine Fisheries Commission, elements of the Divisions of Marine Resources and Law Enforcement of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and all of the employees and Commissioners of the former Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission.
Five years later, after consulting stakeholders, employees and other interested parties, the FWC adopted a new internal structure to address complex conservation issues of the new century. The new structure focuses on programs, such as habitat management, that affect numerous species. It will focus on moving the decision-making process closer to the public and did not require any additional funding or additional positions.
