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On June 14, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved additional regulations to manage and protect snook.
“These rule changes are intended to provide additional protection for Florida’s valuable snook populations,” said FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto. “The FWC believes a reduction in harvest is necessary to help achieve the Commission’s management goal for snook and sustain and improve the fishery for the future.”
Snook are one of Florida’s premier gamefish. For many years CCA Florida, as well as many other saltwater anglers and fishing guides have urged additional conservation measures for snook. In 1994 a conservation-oriented resource management goal of 40 percent spawning potential ratio (SPR) was established to protect this great gamefish. That goal has never been attained. As a premier recreational fishery, snook should be managed for maximum abundance and larger fish rather than for maximum yield. A high protection standard is also warranted because snook are subjected to occasional severe mortality by early winter freezes and red tide.
The most recent FWC stock assessment, which was released in February, shows that the snook SPR values on both coasts are significantly below the 40 percent goal. East coast SPR values range from 25 percent to 26 percent and west coast values range from 26 percent to 32 percent. Seatrout and mullet are managed for a 35 percent SPR and are achieving that resource goal. This great gamefish was, in fact, being managed at protection levels lower than mullet.
The new conservation measures adopted by the Commission will achieve the 40 percent SPR resource goal on both coasts.
The FWC’s new rule will modify the current regulations as follows:
- Atlantic Coast – a 28-32 inch slot size, one fish bag limit and open to harvest in the months of February, March, April, May, September, October, November and half of December (the same as the current open months). The changes would increase the Atlantic coast snook SPR to 44 percent.
- Gulf Coast – a 28-33 inch slot size, one fish bag limit and open to harvest in the months of March, April, September, October and November (the half month of December and the month of February were added to the existing closures). The change would increase the Gulf coast snook SPR to 43 percent.
There was strong public support for the Commission’s rule. CCA Florida has 11,000 members throughout Florida and they are represented by the presidents of 28 local chapters from Pensacola to the Florida Keys. At a recent vote by our Executive Committee, the chapter presidents voted unanimously to support the Commission rule. Members from the local area, Orlando, Jacksonville and as far away as Naples traveled to the Melbourne FWC meeting to express their support.
In addition, the new snook rule had been developed and endorsed by the FWC Snook Workgroup, a diverse group with 21 members representing different parts of the state and various fishing interests. The rule was also endorsed by the Florida Guides Association, the International Gamefish Association (IGFA), and fishing clubs throughout the state.
The FWC Commissioners took a strong stance and adopted important proactive conservation measures to protect this great gamefish.
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