FL Fishing License questions (TIA).
- Thread starter Skeeter_D
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Johnoly
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This is the key critical word that several FWC officers in and around the Jupiter/WPB area have chosen to strictly interpet. In the officer's opinion, once you leave(dive off) the vessel, you are no long fishing "FROM" the vessel, ie standing on the deck. Therefore you must also have an individual license. This has become a big problem of interpetation and we have tried several times to get this heard infront of a judge, but in the 3 cases I'm familar with, each has been dropped by the state so it could not be heard. Those operators just to be safe have purchased vessel licenses, $750, as extra protection, but the issue has not been ruled upon by the courts as of yet.
If you are fishing or hunting and are not standing on the actual vessel floor deck, then you should have an individual license to cover yourself.
Fishing licenses are cheap. Just get one.
PiercingDoctor
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Its $17 just get a license just in case.
Well, the weekend is over & nothing was killed (by me, or my dive buddy). Fun was had by all, and we enjoyed some seriously nice dives, charter services & dive shop employees... 
The whole question was... "do I need a license to kill Lionfish, while I dive in your state???"
I still don't feel the need to pay for killing an invasive and very distructive species, during the course of my little dive vaction. It's good to know the details of how the license works, but I was not hunting for personal gain. If I am spearing (or bug collecting), then I would gladly pay the $17 (which I have done in the past) for the privelage. I was not trying to "cheap out" on anything, so I am sorry if it sounded like I was trying to do something sneaky or for free
, when I should be paying for it (not my style).
I was asking if I need to pay to help the eco systems off of your south-east coast...
BTW, the guys on the "Republic IV" (great guys with a solid operation) were very specific that I could spear "FROM" their boat, since they DO have a charter license. I guess they might have their standard interpretation of the "fine points" of the law, when it comes to "fishing FROM" the boat.
My interpretation of "FROM": Since I would be departing "FROM" the boat (usually by giant stride) and returning "TO" the boat, the specifics of the law would allow for spearing "FROM" a for-hire vessel. This... by my definition is fishing "FROM" their vessel.
Just my interpretation.
edit... added some emot-icons to encourage "friendly" dialogue...
The whole question was... "do I need a license to kill Lionfish, while I dive in your state???"
I still don't feel the need to pay for killing an invasive and very distructive species, during the course of my little dive vaction. It's good to know the details of how the license works, but I was not hunting for personal gain. If I am spearing (or bug collecting), then I would gladly pay the $17 (which I have done in the past) for the privelage. I was not trying to "cheap out" on anything, so I am sorry if it sounded like I was trying to do something sneaky or for free
, when I should be paying for it (not my style).I was asking if I need to pay to help the eco systems off of your south-east coast
...BTW, the guys on the "Republic IV" (great guys with a solid operation) were very specific that I could spear "FROM" their boat, since they DO have a charter license. I guess they might have their standard interpretation of the "fine points" of the law, when it comes to "fishing FROM" the boat.
My interpretation of "FROM": Since I would be departing "FROM" the boat (usually by giant stride) and returning "TO" the boat, the specifics of the law would allow for spearing "FROM" a for-hire vessel. This... by my definition is fishing "FROM" their vessel.
Just my interpretation.
edit... added some emot-icons to encourage "friendly" dialogue...
Johnoly
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No hurt feelings from me, now you understand how frustrating it is when the law reads one way and the individual FWC officers interpet it differently on the water and start handing out tickets.
For the 15 years I have been diving Jupiter, a charter boat wasn't required to carry a boat license, then out of the blue, they hit many of them last year.
JDC captains Mike and Tim are very good friends of mine and they will not steer you wrong.
Hope you make it back to Jupiter soon and send me a note if you do. I'll go diving with you and happy to show you some tips and tricks on bringing home dinner or catching lionfish.
Thanks for the invite... I usually do most of my UW hunting off the coast of South Carolina (several groper, a trigger, a flounder & 2 sheepshead yesterday). When I visit FL, I like to play "tourist" and just look at the pretty fishies (with a bug-hunt from time to time).
I don't want to catch the Lion Fish... These invasive & destructive critters need a good "killin". Regardless of method (rock to the head, dive knife to the side, or a spear), they need to die. I'll just do it quickly & quietly, without any evidence brought to the surface. That way the FWC guys will just never know...
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