FWC Seeking Input on Redfish Rules

[Flats Rascal]

FWC seeking public input on redfish rules

Community outdoors column by Rick Farren
Tal Democrat



In light of a recent stock assessment, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is considering stronger restrictions on the harvest of redfish (red drum). The assessment concluded that while the management goal of a 30-percent escapement rate is on target, increasing fishing pressure could cause the rate to decline below 30 percent by the next assessment in 2009.

The escapement rate is a measurement biologists use to determine the overall health of the species and is based on the percentage of fish that survive long enough to join the offshore spawning stocks. Fish that exceed the current slot limit of 18 to 27 inches are fully protected from harvest.

As part of the process for developing new rules, the FWC is inviting the public to participate in a series of workshops regarding management of the species.

Florida's redfish stocks were heavily overfished and in danger of collapse in the mid-1980s. In response, the fishery was temporarily closed three times, and a management plan was implemented that included a ban on redfish sales, a three-month closure to all redfish harvest, and strict bag and size limits. As redfish stocks improved, a year-round recreational season reopened in 1996, but the prohibition on sale, a one-fish daily bag limit and the 18- to 27-inch slot limit remain in place today. As a result, the fishery made significant progress and is widely considered to be a major management success.

FWC biologists have determined, however, that even though localized large schools of redfish still do occur, there has been slow erosion in the number of juveniles escaping to the offshore spawning stock, which is critical for the long-term health and abundance of the species. If regulations aren't adjusted now, we could see even more drastic changes after the next stock assessment.

The reason for the decline is that more people are fishing for redfish, which means more fish are kept and more are being caught and released. Even though only a small percentage of redfish fail to survive being caught and released, the number of fish that don't survive increases along with the number of anglers targeting redfish.

A redfish workgroup recently established by the FWC already has developed several management recommendations, including narrowing the current 18- to 27-inch total length slot limit, applying a one-month closure and increasing the management goal to 40-percent escapement. The FWC also is seeking comment from interested persons on those recommendations. Detailed management options and the workgroup recommendations will be presented at the workshops.

Local red drum workshops, which will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. local time, are scheduled for Nov. 13 at the Gulf Coast Community College, 5230 W. U.S. 98, Student Union East, 2nd Floor Conference Room, Panama City; Nov. 15 at the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 620 S. Meridian St., Farris Bryant Building, 2nd Floor Conference Room, Tallahassee; and Nov. 16 at the City Hall Council Chambers, 123 N.W. Hwy. 19, Crystal River.

Information regarding the red drum workgroup and other material concerning red drum management in Florida is available online at MyFWC.com/marine/workgroups/index.html#Red_Drum.


Gulf Red Snapper season closes next week

The recreational red snapper fishing season in both state and federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico will close Nov. 1. The closure is designed to help rebuild overfished red snapper stocks. The season will reopen in state waters April 14, 2007, and in federal waters April 21, 2007. Florida state waters extend nine nautical miles offshore in the Gulf, and federal waters extend beyond state waters.



Spring turkey quota hunt applications available

Hunters planning to hunt turkey on most of Florida's wildlife management areas during the 2007 spring turkey season can apply for quota hunt permits beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Quota hunt permit worksheets are available on the FWC Web site at MyFWC.com/hunting under "Quota Hunts." Worksheets also are available at county tax collectors' offices and at all FWC regional offices.

Applicants must apply through the FWC's Total Licensing System (TLS). Applications are no longer accepted by mail. Hunters may apply through the Internet at wildlifelicense.com or turn in their completed worksheets to any tax collector or license agent.

All applicants, regardless of when they apply, have the same chance of being selected as long as they submit their applications within the application period that ends at 11:59 p.m. Nov. 9. Hunters who were included in the random drawing last year but were not issued a quota hunt permit will be included in this year's first drawing, known as the "preference drawing."

For more information on how to apply for spring turkey quota hunt permits, visit MyFWC.com/hunting.



Importing deer and elk carcasses can be illegal

If you've planned an out-of-state hunting trip this fall, the FWC wants you to know that it's illegal to bring into Florida carcasses of any species of the family Cervidae (e.g. deer, elk and moose) from 10 states and the Canadian Province of Alberta where chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been detected. States include New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Illinois, New York and West Virginia.

First identified in Colorado in 1967, CWD is a disease that affects the central nervous system; it is related to "mad cow" disease in cattle and scrapie in sheep. The disease always proves fatal to the infected animal, but there are no known cases of it being transmitted to people, domestic animals or livestock. To date, no cases of CWD have been found in Florida.

Hunters still can bring back de-boned meat from any CWD-affected region, as well as finished taxidermy mounts, hides, skulls, antlers and teeth as long as all soft tissue has been removed. Whole, bone-in carcasses and parts are permitted to be brought back to Florida if they were harvested from non-affected CWD areas.

For more information about CWD, visit MyFWC.com/cwd.