Recreational harvest of snook for Florida’s west coast opens March 1

COURTESY PHOTOS

Snook has long been a popular sportfish in Florida and its harvest has been regulated since the mid-1950s. In 1985, snook were considered severely depleted and conservative management strategies were suggested to minimize harvest and increase the chances of snook recovering.

Over the decades, regulations were adopted to prohibit commercial harvest or sale of snook, implement the “snook stamp” requirement, and refine the seasons and slot limits. These regulation changes have helped increase the abundance and size of snook. Snook stocks have rebounded and are currently exceeding the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) management goal of 40% spawning potential ratio (SPR) on both the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of Florida. SPR is the percent of the total biomass of mature fish in a fished population compared to the number that would exist if the population were not fished.

In 2023, FWC adopted a new regional management approach for snook that brings a holistic view to management decisions by using multiple metrics (SPR, relative abundance, habitat, harmful algal blooms, fishing effort, temperature and stakeholder feedback) to evaluate the fishery on a smaller regional scale. Each year, FWC will evaluate the snook fishery in each management region using these metrics, and key findings will be summarized in “Annual Review” publications.

The recreational harvest of snook in the Panhandle, Big Bend, Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Charlotte Harbor and Southwest management regions will open March 1, and remain open through April 30. This includes all Florida state and inland waters as well as adjacent federal waters within each management region.

These regions and regulations are part of the FWC’s holistic management approach for Florida’s most popular inshore fisheries. Through this approach, seven metrics are used to evaluate the fishery by region, adding a holistic perspective to management decisions and allowing the FWC to address regional concerns. To learn more, see www.MyFWC.com/ Snook.

Other regulations:

• No commercial harvest or sale of snook is permitted.

• Must remain in whole condition until landed ashore.

• When on a for-hire trip, captain and crew may not retain a bag limit.

• Allowable gear: hook and line only.

• License requirements: Snook permit and recreational fishing license. Note: Prior to purchasing a snook permit, check current regulations in the area you plan to fish. All sales are final. Refunds will not be given even if the species you plan to target is closed to harvest.

For more information on recreational snook regulations, see myfwc.com/fishing/ saltwater/recreational/snook. This page includes the snook annual reviews that provide summaries of key findings from the annual evaluation of management metrics for each region. ¦

The post Recreational harvest of snook for Florida’s west coast opens March 1 first appeared on Charlotte County Florida Weekly .