Found Some Interesting Information About Collecting in Florida

[compulou]

A bag limit of 20? No problem, just bring a few friends with a saltwater license and now you've got 40, 60, 80? Depends on how many friends you bring!!!


Coral farmer I was the first to respond to you in the other thread regarding blue legs, dude don't take offense but I was a little irked on how you jumped on everyone and you really weren't sure yourself even though you thought you were.


All good though, will just head to the Keys with a few friends, a few licenses and no selling. Fair enough.

 

[liverock]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9941850#post9941850 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by compulou
A bag limit of 20? No problem, just bring a few friends with a saltwater license and now you've got 40, 60, 80? Depends on how many friends you bring!!!


Coral farmer I was the first to respond to you in the other thread regarding blue legs, dude don't take offense but I was a little irked on how you jumped on everyone and you really weren't sure yourself even though you thought you were.


All good though, will just head to the Keys with a few friends, a few licenses and no selling. Fair enough.

Ok so everybody understands....all you need is a regular saltwater fishing license, and abide by the rules and bag limits <20>.....to collect in Florida....and your good to go...that is a daily quota....but is best not to have more than a daily quota in your possession, even if you have been there a week, collecting everyday......every officer is different...but it can get testy....if you have a few days of critters in your possession and you are checked.

Richard TBS
www.tbsaltwater.com

 

[coralfragger101]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9941850#post9941850 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by compulou

Coral farmer I was the first to respond to you in the other thread regarding blue legs, dude don't take offense but I was a little irked on how you jumped on everyone and you really weren't sure yourself even though you thought you were.


All good though, will just head to the Keys with a few friends, a few licenses and no selling. Fair enough.

Better to be irked and right then wrong and in jail.

I'm also man enough to admit when I'm wrong unlike some that might just disappear and not post again.

All is good.

 

[DaveBien]

Ok, so when I come down there to visit my daughter what I need is a saltwater fishing license and a copy of what I can or can not collect by wading or snorkeling? The license I'll get so I can go fishing in the Keys. Just would collect the last day before heading home and I've done the livestock via airlines earlier this year with purchased LS. This was a confusung thread... lol

 

[MR PALM BEACH]

You dont need a saltwater fishing license If your fishing from any fixed structer etc: pier, beach, bridge, and even a charter boat they carry a license on there own to cover the boat. Now If your on a friends boat now you do need a license. I dont now what the laws are In the Keys but I know there pretty strict and have people watching, but I snorkel alot and catch my live stock right of the Inlet while my son catches Blue legs of the shore. And as Im walking back to the car with my catch I got the park ranger asking my son how many crabs did you catch today! with a big smile on his face.

 

[DaveBien]

I know about the charter license, but I'll need one to collect, correct???

 

[MR PALM BEACH]

I guess It all depends, I mean corals could be different from fish. Look at at this way I fish almost every day (without a license) pretty much from the pier or beach. From there dont need one, so why would I need one If Im snorkling at the same spot that I fish to catch fish. Iv brought this up to the Ranger that patrols the area I fish In and asked long ago about catching livstock, he was under the impresion that Its no different from catching from a fishing rod than catching It with a net/slurp gun. Now there are regulations and rules that apply with useing a spear gun, I know there a certain fish that you can and cant use a spear gun to capture. I know down In the keys there a laws because of the reefs so what applys down there might not apply up here because to tell you the truth there really arent a big coral selection as to the keys.

 

[coralfragger101]

I'm not going to get into this one but I believe that could be wrong. You may just have a Ranger that isn't aware of the regulations. I believe you do have to have a license if you snorkel or even wade out into the water. At this point, you are not on a fixed structure (land).

 

[chrisaggie]

You don't need a fishing license if you are a florida resident fishing from land. You do need a fishing license if you are a resident fishing from a boat, collecting, or a non-resident fishing anywhere. You do not need a license if you are on a charter boat, etc. that has a blanket license for everyone onboard.

 

[RicksReefs]

you need that license if your standing in 4 feet of water or your head is underwater. I.E. snorkeling (if your snorkeling, your no longer 'standing' on land). if your on a charter boat, your covered for game fish, the FWC isn't gonna buy the story that the blue legs just hitched a ride on a cobia...

 

[Treeman]

Exactly as Chris and Rick said above.

If you collect, you need a license. If you look at the first link of the first page. It states that you need a fishing license. Just remember the park rangers are not there to enforce fishing laws. Or, at least not to the extent that the game officer is.

 

[liverock]

New law

New law

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9943526#post9943526 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MR PALM BEACH
You dont need a saltwater fishing license If your fishing from any fixed structer etc: pier, beach, bridge, and even a charter boat they carry a license on there own to cover the boat. Now If your on a friends boat now you do need a license. I dont now what the laws are In the Keys but I know there pretty strict and have people watching, but I snorkel alot and catch my live stock right of the Inlet while my son catches Blue legs of the shore. And as Im walking back to the car with my catch I got the park ranger asking my son how many crabs did you catch today! with a big smile on his face.

If you follow the news, you will know there is activity now Tallahassee to change the shore/pier rule, soon EVERYBODY that fishes in Florida, regardless of the location will be required to possess a fishing license.

Richard TBS

 

[liverock]

nada on the coral!

nada on the coral!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9943765#post9943765 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MR PALM BEACH
I guess It all depends, I mean corals could be different from fish.



Yea real different from fish, NOBODY can collect corals...unless you possess a live rock aquaculture license, and the corals are growing on the cultured rock, can be harvested and sold, as long as they are ATTACHED to the cultured rock.


I suspect you ranger friend is a bit ignorant of the laws, as if the FWC catches you doing ANYTHING wrong, you will go down.

The FWC guys are REAL serious and any/smallest infraction will land you in front of a judge, especially a coral violation.

Richard TBS

 

[chrisaggie]

Richard, there are many corals that can be legally collected (and many that can't) with a normal saltwater fishing license. What did you mean by your last statement?

 

[liverock]

None!

None!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9945509#post9945509 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chrisaggie
Richard, there are many corals that can be legally collected (and many that can't) with a normal saltwater fishing license. What did you mean by your last statement?

There are no corals that can be legally collected.

Richard TBS

 

[chrisaggie]

That is not true. If you go back and read the first link Kathy posted you will see many corals can be collected. Seems like there is a lot of confusion about collection laws. Maybe a good topic for a monthly meeting. Hmmm.

 

[jessp]

yeah that would be a great idea if we could get an official to come to one of our meetings and provide us w/ a real easy to understand guidelines.

 

[liverock]

Nope

Nope

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9945593#post9945593 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chrisaggie
That is not true. If you go back and read the first link Kathy posted you will see many corals can be collected. Seems like there is a lot of confusion about collection laws. Maybe a good topic for a monthly meeting. Hmmm.

Sorry but that is incorrect info, and is VERY true. You cannot collect/possess any coral in the state of Florida.

Richard TBS

 

[chrisaggie]

Richard please go read the laws....here are a few quotes from the regs...

"Aggregate bag limit of 20 species (in any combination), of the species included in the Marine Life rule as listed below. Of those 20 species, no more than 5 may be angelfish, and no more than 6 may be colonies of octocorals (each colony or part thereof is included in the aggregate bag limit). The bag limit for plants listed in this rule is 1 gallon." (note octocoral)

"Species included in this rule are as follows:...

Soft corals - Any species of the Subclass Octocorallia, except sea fans Gorgonia flabellum and Gorgonia ventalina."

 

[RicksReefs]

no Scleractinian (stony) corals, but Octocorallia (gorgs, etc) and Cnidaria (mushrooms, anemones, zoanthids, etc) are in the restricted species and collectable (except seafans).