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Category Archives: Outdoor Florida Magazine

Triggerfish and Amberjack Reopen to Recreational Harvest in Gulf Waters Jan.1st

amberjack wont fit in box 5
The old days! Amberjack didn’t fit into the largest fish boxes!

APtravelnews-News Release from NOAA-December 24th, -When I fished in the Keys in the late 70’s and early 80’s 100-pound and even larger Amberjacks were somewhat common. Trigger fish were all over the place. Both fish “eat well” Triggers definitely better than wormy Amberjacks. So with fast fish places demanding more and more fish sandwich fodder the jacks began a major decline. Begin news release: “Amberjack, triggerfish reopen to recreational harvest in Gulf waters Jan. 1; amberjack size limit changes Jan. 4″

The recreational harvest of greater amberjack and gray triggerfish will reopen to harvest in Gulf state and federal waters Jan. 1 and the greater amberjack size limit will change from 30 inches to 34 inches fork length in Gulf state and federal waters Jan. 4.

Recent stock assessments have indicated that greater amberjack and gray triggerfish in the Gulf of Mexico are overfished, which means there are not enough fish for these populations to remain sustainable.

Greater amberjack are also undergoing overfishing, which means more fish are being removed from the population than is sustainable. Greater amberjack closed early on Sept. 28 in Gulf federal waters and Nov. 21 in Gulf state waters. These closures were intended to help prevent exceeding the annual federal recreational quota. A quota is the poundage of fish that can be caught each year while maintaining a sustainable fishery.

Changing the greater amberjack minimum size limit will help ensure more female greater amberjack are left in the water and have a chance to reproduce before being harvested. Fork length is measured from the tip of the lower jaw to the center of the fork in the tail.

Gray triggerfish closed early on Feb. 7 in Gulf state and federal waters after NOAA Fisheries determined that the recreational quota was exceeded in both 2013 and 2014, and the 2015 recreational quota was projected to be met. The 2015 early state waters closure was intended to help limit future early season closures and rebuild the stock.”

To learn more about greater amberjack regulations, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater,” “Recreational Regulations” and “Amberjack.”

To learn more about gray triggerfish, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater,” “Recreational Regulations” and “Triggerfish.”

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Largest Fireworks Show in Southwest Florida “Celebration in the Sky”

Seminole Casino Hotel Immokalee

 APtravelnews-News Release-December 14th, Seminole Casino Hotel Brings Family-Friendly Fun to Seminole Casino in Immokalee Saturday, Jan. 30

 WHAT: Seminole Casino Hotel Immokalee will light up the sky with “Celebration in the Sky” a family-friendly fireworks show Saturday, Jan. 30, from 8 to 10:30 p.m. The evening of fun includes performances by the Golden Gate High School jazz band and food and beverages will be available for purchase at the casino’s food truck and cash bar. The firework show is produced by Zambelli.

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The 2016 Python Challenge Attempt at Removing This Snake from FL. Environment

APtravelnews–December 2nd,-Florida News Release from FF&WCC-This coming year, with the help of our partners, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida are hosting the 2016 Python Challenge™. This month-long invasive species awareness campaign will again include a public competition to remove nonnative Burmese pythons from public lands in Florida. With expanded participating areas, the lands where participants can search for and remove pythons have more than doubled.

Are you up for the Challenge? Register for the Python Removal Competition and compete to see if you can harvest the longest or the most Burmese pythons and win grand prizes of $5,000 in the team category and $3,500 in the individual category. 

We are providing frequent hands-on training for people who want to learn more about how to capture pythons, both before and during the event. The 2016 Python Challenge™ will kick off at the Invasive Species Awareness Festival on Jan. 16, 2016 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Details about trainings, competition rules and registration, prizes and events are posted atPythonChallenge.org.

Remember – you can help conserve the Everglades, one of our national treasures. Join the 2016 Python ChallengeTM!

Python Challenge 2016 logo

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Gag grouper recreational harvest closes in most Florida Gulf waters in early December

 

Gorgeous grouper surprised us in Paradise, all day long!
Gag grouper surprised us in Paradise, all day long! They were all released during their season except for the 7-pounder we(I)  caught.

APtravelnews- Game and Fish news release- Nov. 30th,–Gag grouper will close for recreational harvest in most Gulf of Mexico state waters Dec. 4, with the last day of harvest being Dec. 3. All Gulf federal waters will close Dec. 3, with the last day of harvest being Dec. 2.

State waters off Franklin, Wakulla, Jefferson and Taylor counties were open from April 1 through June 30 and were not open during the July 1 through Dec. 3 season. Monroe County is also excluded from the July 1 through Dec. 3 season because it follows Atlantic rules for gag grouper.

The FWC manages marine fish from the shore to 9 nautical miles in the Gulf of Mexico.

To learn more, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater,” “Recreational Regulations” and “Gulf Grouper.”