‘Catch-and-release only’ extended for snook and other sport fish. You can thank red tide

Florida anglers are still feeling the ripple effects of a major red tide bloom that hammered the state’s coastal wildlife and economy.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced Wednesday that catch-and-release only measures currently in place for several popular sport fish will once again be extended.

Snook, red drum (also known as a redfish) and spotted seatrout are now to remain under a harvesting ban in waters around Southwest Florida and Tampa Bay through May 31, 2021.

“These temporary regulation changes were made to help conserve these popular inshore species that were negatively impacted by a prolonged red tide that occurred in late 2017 through early 2019,” the agency said in a press release.

Restrictions on snook and redfish harvesting due to red tide were first enacted in August 2018 and then extended several times by the state wildlife commission. Protections for large spotted seatrout were added in February 2019 and expanded to include all sizes of the fish in May 2019.

When the prohibitions lift next year, redfish and spotted seatrout should once again be OK to harvest within legal size and bag limits in Southwest Florida.

However, the harvesting ban on snook will end during a closed season for the fish on the Gulf Coast, which means that local anglers will have to wait until the fishery reopens on Sept. 1, 2021, to actually keep any catches.

The regularly occurring snook fishing closures are “designed to help conserve the species during vulnerable times such as cold weather,” FWC says.

The current catch-and-release only measures are in effect from the Hernando/Pasco County line southward to Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and Lee counties and through Gordon Pass in Collier County.

The rules are enforced up and down Florida’s coasts by state wildlife officers. Catch-and-release infractions are a second-degree misdemeanor under state law, and first-time violators can face up to 60 days in jail and fines of $500 per offense.

Though a potential disappointment for anglers in the short term, the efforts are intended to make sure that there are plenty of fish in years to come.

Conservation groups and scientists have been been actively working to help the recovery process along.

A partnership formed between FWC, Mote Marine Laboratory and Coastal Conservation Association Florida resulted in thousands of snook raised in hatcheries to be released in red-tide-affected waters, and a similar program by FWC, CCA and Duke Energy released thousands of redfish.

This story was originally published February 20, 2020 at 7:52 AM with the headline "‘Catch-and-release only’ extended for snook and other sport fish. You can thank red tide."