Florida Administrative Code

(1) Permit Bag Limits - (a) Recreational Bag Limit 1. Within the Special Permit Zone, no person shall recreationally harvest or possess at any time within or without state waters or on any dock, pier, bridge, beach, or other fishing site adjacent to such waters more than one (1) …

(1) The harvest of pompano, African pompano, or permit within or without state waters by or with the use of any multiple hook in conjunction with live or dead natural bait, or the landing of such fish so harvested, is prohibited. Snagging (snatch hooking) of pompano, African pomp…

(1) POMPANO ENDORSEMENT - No person shall be issued a pompano endorsement on their saltwater products license without first meeting each of the following criteria: (a) The applicant must possess a Vessel Saltwater Products License with a Restricted Species Endorsement. (b) The ap…

Inside the Special Permit Zone, no person shall harvest, possess, purchase, sell or exchange any permit within or without state waters during the months of April, May, June, and July of each year. During this closed season, the possession of permit while in or on the waters of th…

Designation as a Restricted Species - Black drum are hereby designated as a restricted species, pursuant to Section 379.101(32), F.S. Rulemaking Authority Art. IV, Sec. 9, Fla. Const. Law Implemented Art. IV, Sec. 9, Fla. Const. History-New 7-1-89, Formerly 46-36.001, Amended 9-1…

"Black drum" means a fish of the species Pogonias cromis, or any part thereof. Rulemaking Authority Art. IV, Sec. 9, Fla. Const. Law Implemented Art. IV, Sec. 9, Fla. Const. History-New 7-1-89, Amended 7-15-96, 9-30-96, Formerly 46-36.002, Amended 7-1-06, 9-1-13.

(1) Minimum and Maximum Size Limits - (a) Recreational Minimum and Maximum Size Limits - 1. Except as provided in subparagraph (1)(a)2., a recreational harvester may not harvest or possess within or without Florida Waters or land a black drum that is less than 14 inches or greate…

(1) Recreational Bag Limits - A recreational harvester may not harvest within or without Florida Waters or land per day more than 5 black drum or possess within or without Florida Waters more than 5 black drum. (2) Commercial Limits - (a) Commerical Bag Limit - A commercial harve…

Rulemaking Authority Art. IV, Sec. 9, Fla. Const. Law Implemented Art. IV, Sec. 9, Fla. Const. History-New 7-1-89, Formerly 46-36.005, Repealed 9-1-13.

(1) A person may not use a multiple hook in conjunction with live or dead natural bait to harvest or attempt to harvest black drum within or without Florida. (2) A person may not harvest or attempt to harvest a black drum within or without Florida Waters by snagging the black dru…

(1) Designation as a Restricted Species - Spotted seatrout are hereby designated as a restricted species pursuant to Section 379.101(32), F.S. (2) Purpose and Intent - The purpose and intent of this chapter are to protect and conserve Florida's spotted seatrout resources and assu…

As used in Chapter 68B-37, F.A.C.: (1) "Big Bend Region" means all Florida Waters and adjacent federal waters of the Gulf of America lying east of 84°20.800ꞌ West Longitude in Franklin County and north of a line running due east and due west from the westernmost point of Fred How…

(1) Recreational Minimum and Maximum Size Limits - (a) Except as provided in paragraph (1)(b), a recreational harvester may not harvest or possess within or without Florida Waters or land a spotted seatrout that does not meet the specified size limits established in this paragrap…

(1) Recreational Bag Limits - A recreational harvester may not harvest or land per day from within or without Florida Waters of a region or possess more spotted seatrout within a region than the applicable bag limit established in this subsection for each region: (a) Panhandle Re…

(1) Recreational Closed Seasons - Except as provided in paragraphs (1)(a) and (1)(b), there is no closed season for the recreational harvest of spotted seatrout. (a) Panhandle Region - A person may not harvest or land a spotted seatrout from within or without Florida Waters of th…

(1) Allowed Gear and Method of Harvest - A person may harvest or attempt to harvest a spotted seatrout within or without Florida Waters only by or with the use of a cast net or hook and line gear. (2) Prohibited Gear and Method of Harvest - (a) A person may not harvest a spotted …

Sale of spotted seatrout shall adhere to the following restrictions. (1) Except as provided in subsection (3), a seafood dealer in a region where the commercial spotted seatrout season is closed pursuant to subsection 68B-37.005(3), F.A.C, may only possess or sell spotted seatrou…

(1) For purposes of regulating shrimping and trapping in the state waters of Citrus and Hernando Counties, five zones are hereby established as described in subsection (2), and depicted on the following map: (2) The zones established in subsection (1), are described as follows: (…

Rulemaking Authority Art. IV, Sec. 9, Fla. Const. Law Implemented Art. IV, Sec. 9, Fla. Const. History-New 10-1-89, Amended 2-24-98, 11-16-98, 6-1-99, Formerly 46-38.002, Amended 3-1-05, Repealed 8-14-24.

Rulemaking Authority Art. IV, Sec. 9, Fla. Const., Chapter 83-134, Laws of Fla., as amended by Chapter 84-121, Laws of Fla. Law Implemented Art. IV, Sec. 9, Fla. Const., Chapter 83-134, Laws of Fla., as amended by Chapter 84-121, Laws of Fla. History-New 1-1-91, Formerly 46-38.00…

Striped mullet and silver mullet are hereby designated as restricted species pursuant to Section 379.101(32), F.S. Rulemaking Authority Art. IV, Sec. 9, Fla. Const. Law Implemented Art. IV, Sec. 9, Fla. Const. History-New 10-19-89, Amended 9-1-91, 11-16-98, Formerly 46-39.001, Am…

As used in this rule chapter: (1) "East Region" means all Florida Waters of the Atlantic Ocean along the east coast of Florida lying between the Florida-Georgia border and the Monroe-Dade county line, and adjacent federal waters. (2) "Harvest for commercial purposes" means the ta…

(1) Recreational size limit - There is no size limit for striped or silver mullet applicable to recreational harvesters. (2)(a) Commercial size limit - Except as provided in paragraph (b), a commercial harvester may not harvest or land from Florida Waters or possess in or on Flor…

(1) Recreational Bag Limit - Except as provided in Rule 68B-39.0045, F.A.C. for portions of Pinellas County, and Rule 68B-39.0046, F.A.C. for portions of Charlotte County, a recreational harvester may not harvest or possess within or without Florida Waters or land more than a tot…

(1) Striped mullet - (a) Except as provided in paragraph (1)(b) and Rule 68B-39.0045, 68B-39.0046, or 68B-39.008, F.A.C., a commercial harvester is not subject to a daily bag limit for striped mullet. (b) During the period beginning November 1 each year and continuing through Jan…

(1) During the period beginning October 1 each year and continuing through January 31 of the following year, no recreational or commercial harvester may harvest or possess within the areas described in subsection (2), more than five striped mullet per day. During this period, the…

(1) During the period beginning on November 1 each year and continuing through the last day of February of the following year, no recreational or commercial harvester shall harvest or attempt to harvest any striped mullet within the area described in subsection (2), during the pe…

Rulemaking Authority Art. IV, Sec. 9, Fla. Const. Law Implemented Art. IV, Sec. 9, Fla. Const. History-New 3-3-97, Amended 1-1-98, 11-16-98, 12-31-98, Formerly 46-39.0047, Amended 12-2-99, 7-1-01, 7-1-03, Repealed 5-16-19.

During the period beginning February 1 and continuing through the last day of February each year, the harvest for commercial purposes of silver mullet in the East Region is prohibited. During this period in this region, all harvesters are subject to the recreational bag, possessi…

(1) A person may harvest or attempt to harvest striped mullet or silver mullet only by or with the use of the following gear: (a) Cast net with a stretched length (the distance from the horn at the center of the net, with the net gathered and pulled taut, to the lead line) no gre…

(1) A person may not purchase or sell any silver mullet harvested on any weekend during the period beginning on July 1 each year and continuing through January 31 of the following year. (2) A person may may not purchase or sell any silver mullet harvested from waters of the East …

A person may not harvest or possess striped or silver mullet for commercial purposes in waters of the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of America offshore of the three nautical mile line (formerly known as the territorial sea line) or offshore of the Everglades National Park Line, which sh…

As used in Division 68B, F.A.C., unless otherwise defined: (1) "Breakaway gear" means any bob, float, weight, lure, or spoon that is affixed to a fishing line or hook with wire, line, rubber bands, plastic ties, or other fasteners designed to break off when a fish is caught. (2) …

Rulemaking Authority Art. IV, Sec. 9, Fla. Const. Law Implemented Art. IV, Sec. 9, Art. X, Sec. 16, Fla. Const. History-New 11-26-92, Amended 1-1-97, Formerly 46-4.0025, Repealed 9-1-13.

(1) Each seine fished with, set, or placed in the water shall be tended. (2)(a) Each seine fished with, set, or placed in the water shall be legibly marked at each end with the saltwater products license number of the person in possession of the seine or of the vessel on which th…

(1) This rule is intended to implement prohibitions and restrictions of Article X, Section 16 of the Florida Constitution. As used there and in this rule, the term "net" or "netting" shall be broadly construed to include all manner or combination of mesh or webbing or any other s…

(1) Except as provided in subsection (3), the transport aboard any vessel of any of the following gear is prohibited, unless such transport is as direct, continuous, and expeditious as possible from the place where the vessel is regularly docked, moored, or otherwise stored to wa…

(1)(a) All persons taking food fish from any of the waters of this state by use of seines, nets, or other fishing devices and not using any of such fish because of size or other reasons shall immediately release and return such fish alive to the water from which taken and no such…

Beginning January 1, 1993, hook and line gear used in or on the waters of the State shall be tended. The term "tended" for purposes of this rule means that the person fishing the gear is physically present at the terminus of the gear. Rulemaking Authority Art. IV, Sec. 9, Fla. Co…

Beginning January 1, 1993, no person shall fish with, set, or place in state waters any longline gear. Except for persons in transit through state waters to fish in and return from the waters of another state or from federal Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) waters where the use of s…

(1) No person shall intentionally discard any monofilament fishing line or monofilament netting into or onto the waters of the state. Waste monofilament fishing line and monofilament netting shall be disposed of on land and, if the material is possessed aboard a vessel, it shall …

No person shall use any gasoline or electric motorized vessel to seek, take, or attempt to take any fish in or on Lake Avoca in Pinellas County. Rulemaking Authority Art. IV, Sec. 9, Fla. Const. Law Implemented Art. IV, Sec. 9, Fla. Const. History-New 3-1-92, Formerly 46-4.010.

No person shall fish with, set, or place any net, other than a cast net or landing or dip net, in the waters of the Faka Union River (also known as the Faka Union Canal), or any tributary thereof, in Collier County, between 25°54.867'' North Latitude southward to the mouth of the…

(1) Powerheads. (a) No person shall use any powerhead to harvest any fish in state waters. Powerheads may be possessed while diving in state waters for the purpose of personal protection. (b) The possession of any fish other than lionfish that has been harvested with a powerhead,…

Beginning January 1, 1993, no person shall harvest any marine fish in any waters of the state with the aid of any spotter plane, except for those species allowed to be harvested with a purse seine pursuant to paragraph 68B-4.0083(1)(c), F.A.C. Rulemaking Authority Art. IV, Sec. 9…

Rulemaking Authority Art. IV, Sec. 9, Fla. Const., s. 2, Chapter 83-134, Laws of Fla., as amended by Chapter 84-121, Laws of Fla. Law Implemented Art. IV, Sec. 9, Fla. Const., s. 2, Chapter 83-134, Laws of Fla., as amended by Chapter 84-121, Laws of Fla. History-New 7-1-93, Amend…

The requirements in this rule shall apply in the Panhandle Region, which shall include the state waters of Gulf, Bay, Walton, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Escambia Counties. (1) No person shall fish with, set, or place any beach or haul seine in the waters of the region described in…

The requirements in this rule shall apply in the Southwest Region, which shall include the state waters of Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Sarasota, Manatee, Hillsborough, and Pinellas Counties. (1) In Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, and Collier Counties, a two net seine, consisting …

(1) BOCA GRANDE PASS - For purposes of the restrictions specified in subsections (2) and (3), Boca Grande Pass shall consist of all waters located within the following boundaries: Begin at the westernmost edge of the Phosphate Dock (26°43.216' North Latitude, 82°15.517' West Long…

No person shall operate any vessel with a trap puller aboard unless such vessel is operated commercially pursuant to a saltwater products license with either a lobster trap endorsement, stone crab trap endorsement, blue crab trap endorsement, sea bass trap endorsement, or a feder…