Their headline reads "CORRECTLY MEASURING SALTWATER FISH GETS EASIER".
There may be a little spin talk in that statement.

They have broken Saltwater Fish in to 2 groups. Fish that have flat or irregularly shaped tails are measured by total length. The total length measurement is used to measure the snapper and grouper family, red and black drum, snook, spotted seatrout, weakfish, tripletail, bonefish, sheepshead, flounder and a variety of aquarium species (such as angelfish).

These new rules provide that the saltwater fish that are regulated by this total length method must be measured by determining the straight-line distance from the most forward point of the head, with the mouth closed, to the farthest tip of the tail with the tail compressed or squeezed together, while the fish is lying on its side. This method is sometimes called “squeezing” or “pinching” the fish tail, which essentially involves measuring the maximum possible length of the fish.

Fish that have forked or angled tails are still measured by fork length. to the rear center edge, or V, of the tail. They include amberjacks and most other jacks, hogfish, dolphin, cobia, mullet, bluefish, king and Spanish mackerel, permit, pompano and African pompano as well grey triggerfish.

FWC Ups Snook Minimum Size Limit Due to New Measurment Rules

The FWC approved a rule to increase the snook minimum size limit to 27 inches total length. Previously, the minimum size was 26 inches. The Commission did not change the 34-inch maximum size limit for snook.

The FWC passed the new rule to complement another new regulation which takes effect July 1. That regulation requires snook to be measured by determining the straight-line distance from the most forward point of the head with the mouth closed, to the farthest tip of the tail with the tail compressed or squeezed together, while the fish is lying on its side.

Increasing the snook minimum size limit by one inch will compensate for a slight increase in length some anglers may achieve when measuring snook this way, and likely will increase snook spawning stocks by decreasing snook harvest by 22 percent on Florida’s gulf coast and by 12 percent on the Atlantic coast.

The Commission decided not to raise the maximum size limit for snook because that could increase the harvest of large spawning snook which are important to maintaining healthy stocks.

Man Helping Man?

Early one morning a priest was walking out onto the old Long Key Bridge looking forward to a beautiful sunrise. Soon he came upon two locals pulling another man (easily identified as a tourist by his bright red sunburn) through the water, toward the Long Key end of the bridge, on the end of a rope. That's what I like to see, said the priest, man helping his fellow man. As the priest continued out onto the bridge, one local remarked to the other, Well, he sure don't know the first thing about shark fishing.