The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is requesting $13.5 million to repair pedestrian bridges on U.S. 1 and continue the work on the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail. The request to the state Legislature could help reopen six fishing bridges that were closed between 2011 and 2014 after state transportation officials deemed them unsafe. DEP … Read more
A 37-year-old Hialeah man accused of poaching snappers Friday, Nov. 27, while fishing from a bridge was arrested by a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer. The man was charged with possession of undersized yellowtail snapper, possession of undersized mangrove snapper and possession of undersized schoolmaster snapper, all of which put him over the … Read more
Smartphone apps have made everything from hiring a car service to shopping much easier. And unfortunately for Florida Keys fishing charters boat captains, it has also made booking an unlicensed fishing charters just as easy. The Key West Charter Boats Association has reached out to the Florida Fish Fish and Wildlife Commission for its help … Read more
The commercial harvest of yellowtail snapper in federal South Atlantic waters closes at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, fishery managers declared Monday. The year’s annual catch limit of 1,596,510 pounds will be reached by then, the National Marine Fisheries Service reported. Commercial boats in the Florida Keys produce most of the state’s snapper — an estimated 976,982 … Read more
A Summerland Key [Lobster Mobster] fisherman [in the past he has been identified as from Big Pine Key] arrested in October 2014 for lobster fishing with hundreds of illegal traps was arrested again Thursday for lying on a wildlife form about his marine violation history, according to court records. Lobster Mobster – David Lee Boggs, … Read more
So-called casitas, an alternative to conventional traps, are used throughout Latin America. Although using them in the U.S. would offer environmental advantages, opposition by traditional fishers make it unlikely they will be legalized in anytime soon By Erik Vance Lifting a lobster casita is easier than it looks. The device is little more than an … Read more
The head of the Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association contends that a proposed increase to the dolphin fish allocation to the commercial fishing sector does not go far enough. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has proposed increasing the commercial sector allocation for dolphin from 7.54 percent, or 1.1 million pounds, to 10 percent, or 1.5 million … Read more
Stone crab fishermen would welcome the same prices for more claws in the new season that opens with the first pull Thursday, October 15, 2015. “There’s enough demand to take care of the supply but we’re hoping for more supply,” said Gary Graves from Keys Fisheries in Marathon, a leading supplier of stone-crab claws. Last … Read more
State fishery managers will take the first step this week in lowering the bag limit for mutton snapper, one of the Florida Keys’ most highly targeted species of fish. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission board will meet Wednesday, Nov. 18, in Panama City to discuss a series of proposed reductions to the mutton … Read more
Road trips don’t come more spectacular than the Overseas Highway. Sailing through tropical savanna over the Florida Straits, it links Miami on the mainland with the 180-kilometer-long Florida Keys island chain. Most visitors head straight to Key West, the southernmost city in the continental United States, but if they stopped along the way they’d find secluded … Read more
Florida Keys [anglers] residents spoke out on dolphin fish harvests, lobster bully-netting, lionfish problems and grouper seasons when meeting with state fishery managers last summer. Wednesday in Panama City Beach, board members of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will consider whether to act on any of the concerns gathered at a statewide series … Read more
As the 34-foot Lucky Lady rolled in 2- to 3-foot seas Thursday, trap after trap came up from the Gulf of Mexico crawling with stone crabs, many of them big males with jumbo claws. A good opening day of stone crab season, which runs through May 15: The Lucky Lady landed almost 200 pounds of claws in 400 traps, or … Read more
Anglers from across the country will hunt for some of the most elusive gamefish in the world at the fourth-annual Cheeca Lodge All American Backcountry Tournament, Nov. 12-14. The event raises funds for the locally-based Guides Trust Foundation, and will host two veteran service members to compete as a team in honor of Veteran’s Day. … Read more
What’s the first thing you think of when you think of blue crabs? Many of us may think of our favorite foods, everything from soup to crab cakes. Even the scientific name of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, translates to “beautiful savory swimmer.” These crabs serve as an important food for humans and animals alike, … Read more
Why am I taking an underwater photo of a squirrelfish (Holocentrus adscensionis)? Is it because of its big “squirrel-like” eyes and beautiful colors? Yup! If you are a big, scary or sought after game fish you get media coverage, especially in a place like the Florida Keys. Tune your radio to a local frequency and … Read more
Last month I took a busman’s holiday – a holiday or vacation during which one does something similar to what one does at work. I went fishing in the Florida Keys, and as usual, I fished with captains Rick Rodriquez and John Gargan in Islamorada, Fla. “The Sport Fishing Capital of the World” lived up … Read more
Federal fishery managers drew a one-square-mile block around the Warsaw Hole, a recognized fish-breeding site off the Lower Keys, as an area that needs protection. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, meeting Sept. 17 in South Carolina, selected five oceanic sites for final review as “spawning special management zones,” intended to safeguard waters where fish … Read more
Advice from Florida Bay guides and anglers, shared on trips to remote waters, helped shape Everglades National Park’s new management plan. The extensive plan, released Friday after more than a dozen years in the making, outlines new pole-or-troll zones for boaters in the park and lays the groundwork for mandatory boating education and boat fees for … Read more
Brian Barnes speaks with the eloquence of an English gentleman and the quiet enthusiasm of an accomplished fly fisherman. In fact, Barnes is both, and that enthusiasm is contagious as he describes his fly-fishing shop, Ye Olde English Fly Shop, 24570 Overseas Highway. “I grew up fishing for tiny trout in tiny English trout streams,” … Read more
State fishery managers have removed a loophole that gave some unscrupulous commercial trap fishermen a leg up on fellow fishermen and had serious impact on the lucrative spiny lobster fishery, which is centered in the Florida Keys. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) amended its regulations for stone crab traps used in Collier, … Read more
