ScubaBrett22
Lionfish Slayer
2009 Spiny Lobster Sport (Mini) Season in the Florida Keys
The RULES are different here!
The RULES are different here!
The two-day Spiny Lobster Sport Season is always the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July, beginning at 12:01 A.M. on Wednesday and ending at 12:00 midnight on Thursday. This year, that will be July 29 and 30, 2009. There was a request to change the Lobster Season dates. You can read about it here, Lobster Season Changes.
State and Federal Waters
Bag Limit: Six (6) per licensed harvester (you must have a saltwater fishing license with a lobster stamp) per day in Monroe County; twelve (12) per licensed harvester per day throughout the rest of Florida where the harvest of lobster is permitted. The two-day total of twelve lobster per licensed harvester in Monroe County can only be possessed when transporting your catch by car on, or after, the second day.
Bag limits are only for properly licensed individuals and those people exempt from license requirements who are actively harvesting, and those people harvesting may not exceed their individual bag limit and take someone elses bag limit. That is, people (including children) who are not actively harvesting or are not properly licensed (if a license is required) may NOT be counted for purposes of bag limits.
Diving at night for lobster is NOT permitted in Monroe County. Only bully netting and hoop-netting is permitted at night. Night is one (1) hour after official sunset to one (1) hour before official sunrise.
In addition, Commissioners approved new rule language to prohibit harvest of spiny lobsters from illegal artificial habitat. That action is aimed at reducing the use of illegal structures, sometimes called casitas, to harvest lobsters, especially in the lower Florida Keys.
Casitas
Casitas, such as dumpsters, concrete slabs, bathtubs and various other materials, are illegally placed on the seabed to attract lobsters. The secretive nature of their placement makes preventing their use difficult, and they are capable of attracting hundreds of lobsters that can be easily harvested by divers.
Prohibited Areas: State & Federal
Biscayne Bay/Card Sound Spiny Lobster Sanctuary (closed only to the harvest of spiny lobster)
Everglades National Park
Dry Tortugas National Park
Within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary the following no-take areas are marked by 30 diameter round yellow boundary buoys: Sanctuary Preservation Areas; Special-Use Research-Only Areas; Ecological Reserves (Tortugas E.R not currently marked; refer to GPS coordinates).
John Pennecamp Coral Reef State Park (all of John Pennecamp Coral Reef State Park is closed during the two-day Sport Lobster Season only to the harvest of spiny lobster.)
Lobster Regulations
Monroe County Lobster Harvesting Brochure
Regular lobster season begins August 6th at 12:01 a.m. and ends March 31 at midnight. The two-day Sport Lobster Season is always the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July, beginning at 12:01 A.M. on Wednesday and ending at 12:00 midnight on Thursday. The bag limit is 6 per person per day.
Anyone planning to hunt lobster in Florida territorial waters must have a valid recreational saltwater fishing license as well as a crawfish permit ($2.00) to catch lobster. One-year fishing licensees for residents are $13.50, while non-residents can purchase 3-day ($6.50), 7-day ($16.50), or 1-year licenses ($31.50.) Active military personnel stationed in Florida are considered to be residents. Licenses are available through local tax collectors, many tackle shops, and marine supply stores.
Bag limits are only for properly licensed individuals and those people exempt from license requirements who are actively harvesting, and those people harvesting may not exceed their individual bag limit and take someone elses bag limit. That is, people (including children) who are not actively harvesting or are not properly licensed (if a license is required) may NOT be counted for purposes of bag limits.
Lobstering is always prohibited in Everglades National Park, Dry Tortugas National Park, Looe Key Sanctuary, and some areas of Pennekamp State Park. Contact Pennekamp State Park at 305.451.1202 for more details.
No gear that could puncture the shell of lobster is allowed in your possession, including (but not limited to) spears, hooks, or wire snares.
You must have a measuring gauge on you at all times when you are hunting for lobster. The carapace (the main body) must be at least 3 inches in length to stay within legal size limits. Lobsters with a carapace under 3 inches must be freed unharmed.
Lobster must be of legal size before they are in possession. Remember: any lobsters in your catch bag in the water are considered in possession. For this reason, measure them before you place them in your bag.
You can be prosecuted for injuring any lobster while you are underwater- don't be one of those morons who try pulling them out of their holes by the antennae. Also, be extra careful not to bang into any coral or sponge while hunting lobster.
Egg-bearing lobster must be released unharmed. You can recognize the eggs by an orange, yellow, brown, or red mass found covering the bottom of the lobster's tail.
If you see any commercial lobster traps, give them wide berth: it is a felony to take lobster from commercial traps and these commercial fishermen are quite agressive when it comes to protecting there livelyhood.
I did not type any of this. It was all copped off
Florida Keys Treasures Lobster Sport (Mini) Season
I hope this helps with this years mini season.
Last edited:
