florida macros

[accordsirh22]

I will be making a trip to florida this summer, was just wonder if it will be legal to collect any macro algaes in the panama city area, and if so, which ones and where can i expect to find them? thanks guys

 

[Michael Hoaster]

I think the law is you can collect weeds that have washed ashore. I bet you can find out with a little search on the interwebs. River mouths, calmer bays and even the beach should yield something. Good luck!

 

[accordsirh22]

thats kinda what i figured. i tried a google search but didnt come up with much. i probably didnt type in the right thing lol. i figured someone with local knowledge would be the best source

 

[Mpy]

http://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/aquarium-species/

I don't think they have any real limitations on macro algae

 

[accordsirh22]

thanks, thats more along the lines of what i was looking for. now just need to figure out whats local, or easily accessible from panama city lol

 

[Mpy]

That list is with a saltwater license by the way... Most likely if you are just wandering on the beach and find them you'll be fine, but I am not sure how it works out rule wise...

 

[accordsirh22]

i am half planning on getting the license right now anyways, depends what all i would be able to collect in the area. i know most of the reef stuff is further south. i still havent been able to get a good idea of what kind of stuff to expect in panama city

 

[llc]

it doesnt cost much to get an out of state license for fishing for salt or even fresh, they last a week or 2, and are pretty cheap...just to be safe

 

[accordsirh22]

it looks like the one i would need is actually free, score. just the pier license or w/e. i wont be out on a boat or anything, so anything that you can catch from shore is fine with the free one

 

[Secondsbest]

I believe it's 100 pounds a day with a saltwater fishing license. I don't think FWS monitors public beaches for this much. I prefer to dip net algae in the surf so there are more inverts, just watch out for swimmer and decorator crabs.
Also, bay and lagoon inlets are natural funnels for algae washed in by tides. Use google earth to find even small inlets near where you are staying. Just beware of huge differences in salinity. This time of year, low rainfall drives salinity north of 1.029 where I collect near Cocoa.

 

[llc]

with a fishing license it is 1 gal plants per day (certain plants are excluded and have to have a different license for), and 20 fish/inverts a day but a limit of 5 of the same species...but you need a fishing license to have these limits, otherwise you can get into trouble without a license....i talked to a local collector in florida and got the rules/regulations from him

 

[Secondsbest]

The 1 gallon of each species is for corralline, caulerpa, and mermaids fan/brush. All other macros and plants are 100 pounds or 2 specimens, whichever is greater. It's a footnote of the decorative animal/plant collection list linked above.