Unlike the UK fishing scene, sea
fishing in Florida is subjected to many regulations most of which the UK would
be sensible to adopt.
First of all to fish in the sea you must have a fishing license. There are some
exemptions.
Licenses are available from the county tax collector offices and many bait &
tackle shops. For Charter Boats, the license is included in the Charter fee. You
can also purchase licenses over the internet at
www.marinefisheries.org
License costs are shown in the table below.
|
Florida Resident Licenses |
|
| One-year License |
$13.50 |
| Five-year License |
$61.50 |
| Combination
Licenses (Florida Residents Only) |
|
| Fishing-Saltwater/Freshwater |
$25.50 |
| Fishing-Saltwater/Freshwater & Hunting |
$35.50 |
| Lifetime Saltwater
Fishing License |
|
| Age:0-4 years |
$126.50 |
| Age:5-12 years |
$226.50 |
| Age:13 or older |
$301.50 |
| Lifetime
Sportman's License |
|
| Age:0-4 years |
$401.50 |
| Age:5-12 years |
$701.50 |
| Age:13 or older |
$1001.50 |
| Non-Resident
Licenses |
|
| Three-Day License |
$6-50 |
| Seven-Day License |
$16.50 |
| One-Year License |
$31.50 |
| Additional
Privilege Permit |
|
| Snook Permit |
$2.00 |
| Crawfish Permit |
$2.00 |
VESSEL
LICENSES are required for all vessels
that charge a fee to take passengers out to catch marine
fish. |
|
| Eleven or more customers |
$801.50 |
| Ten or less customers |
$401.50 |
| Four or fewer customers |
$201.50 |
If you are not required to buy a license,
you are not required to buy permits.
FLORIDA has basic Recreational Saltwater
Fishing Regulations to aid conservation so that species are not over fished.
That means basically that most species other than baitfish are regulated in some
manner.
For some species there are closed seasons when
the species may not be captured at all. Most other species have size limits
which may be a minimum size or even a maximum size. There may also be a slot
limit to which certain species may be taken.
All these regulations are designed to ensure
that the species are not over fished and bag limits are given for most species.
Unlike the UK you cannot go freezer fishing here! The accent is on sport fishing
for pleasure with the added benefit that you have a few fish for the table.
So a word of warning. If you go fishing from the shore make sure you have a
license if applicable and secondly that you have a copy of the current fishing regulations if
you intend to keep fish for the table. Certain fish like Tarpon also require the
angler to purchase a TARPON TAG should you wish to keep the fish. You have to
purchase that before you go Tarpon Fishing!
One other detail you should be aware of, which
is very different to the UK. If you go fishing in a boat, it is illegal to
fillet or gut fish at sea. Fish must remain in a whole condition until landed
ashore (head & tails intact). The reason for this is, if the Fisheries Patrol or
Marine Police may wish to examine your catch so they can be measured for size!
Yes, this really happens and policing is good.
-
723 of the 4.549 world records are from
Florida as listed by the International Game Fish Association. This is far
greater than any other state or country.
-
Florida ranks first in the country for
number of people who fish in salt water (2.255,171) This is more than double
any other state in the U.S. alone.
-
Florida ranks first in the country for
number of days anglers spend fishing in salt water (25,139,988) This too is
more than double any other state in the U.S.
-
Over three times more non resident angler
trips are taken in Florida than in any other state (2.8 million)
-
Florida ranks first in the country in
boating purchases such as boats ($760,000,000), outboard Motors($404,522,000),
boat trailers($23,584,000) and miscellaneous marine accessories($221,479,000)
-
Florida has over 2,100 marina's, ranking it
1st in the country
-
Has the largest number of artificial reefs
in the US
-
Has the largest number of artificial reefs in the world
-
Has the largest number of man made wreck
sites. (Wrecks sunk deliberately)
-
Has the two largest wrecks sunk intentionally in the world.
The Aircraft Carrier "ORISKANY" weighing in at 32,00 tons sunk in the
Florida Panhandle in 2006 and the 6800 ton Landing Dock Ship "SPIEGEL GROVE"
sunk in the Keys in 2002.