Bonefish game fish in FL

You can now catch one Bonefish in Florida.

FWC declares bonefish a saltwater game fishBy FWCTue, Dec 15, 2009The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) voted on Thursday to elevate public awareness of the importance of Florida bonefish by declaring it a saltwater game fish.

"Bonefish are one of the major reasons Florida is 'The Fishing Capital of the World,'" said FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto. "We took this action today to emphasize how important the bonefish fishery is to Florida anglers, visitors and South Florida's recreational fishing industry."

It is illegal to commercially harvest and sell bonefish in Florida, and sport anglers are allowed to keep only one bonefish 18 inches in fork length per day.

To further protect bonefish populations in Florida, the Commission also directed staff to develop a draft rule for consideration in February that would add all species of bonefish found in Florida waters to FWC rules, extend FWC bonefish regulations into federal waters, and require that bonefish be landed in whole condition.

"Bonefish are one of the premier sport fisheries in Florida and are known as 'grey ghosts of the flats' because they are stealthy, fast-swimming fighters that are challenging to catch," said Barreto. "That's why we recognize that conserving Florida's bonefish resources will ensure that anglers worldwide can continue to enjoy fishing for this special species."

In case some newbies don't know about measuring This tells the difference between "fork" length and "total" length.

Fish Length Measurement Facts


Length Measurement FAQs

Saltwater finfish size limits are expressed in Total Length and Fork Length

Clarification was approved for the definition of Total Length at the December 2005 Commission meeting. The rule is effective July 1, 2006.


Why did we make this change?
Previously, FWC rules did not consistently state how to obtain total length, leaving this measurement open to interpretation by anglers and law enforcement officers. This modification should provide ease of measurement for anglers and ease of enforcement of size limits.

Anglers have also asked for consistency between marine fish and
freshwater fish measurements as well as with the federal definition
for total length. Better compliance with our regulations should
result because visiting anglers from nearby states are currently
instructed to measure total length by squeezing the tail in their
home states, including Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, and North Carolina. Thus, this method is already familiar to them, and this could foster compliance with our regulations by out-of-state
anglers. Also, many Florida saltwater anglers had already been
measuring total length with a pinched tail, thus for these people
there will be no change in method.


What species will be affected by the change?
Only species that are currently measured as total length will be affected. Species measured as fork length will not be
affected.


Why did we change gray triggerfish to fork length?
Federal rules currently state that gray triggerfish should behttp://myfwc.com/images/RulesRegulat...ggerFish_F.jpg measured as total length. However, their definition of total length specifies that tail filaments should be excluded, which is essentially a fork length measurement. Anglers often include the tail filaments in the measurement of total length for gray triggerfish, which is allowing them to harvest fish that are below the intended 12-inch size limit. Changing the measurement of gray triggerfish to fork length will also allow gray triggerfish to be measured similarly to
hogfish, which are currently measured as fork length and have
similar tail filament types.

How do I measure fish that have ragged-edge type tail
filaments, such as scamp, yellowmouth grouper, or black sea
bass?

For fish that have “ragged-edge” type filaments, these “pieces” of the tail should be included in the measurement of total length, which is implied by stating that the fish be measured to the “farthest tip of the tail” in the definition for total length.


Is there a change to sheepshead measurement?
Sheepshead and flounder are included in the same rule (68B-48, Florida Administrative Code). This rule lists a size limit of 12 inches
total length for sheepshead and flounder. However, “length” was
previously defined as “from the most forward point of the head to
the rear center edge of the tail”. This was a total length measure
for flounder since they have a convex tail, but this was a fork
length measurement for sheepshead since they have a slightly forked tail. However, the rule stated that sheepshead should be measured as total length. This inconsistency was part of the reason we needed to modify our rules. Thus, under the new definition
sheepshead should be measured as total length with a squeezed tail.


What effect will this clarification have on fish stocks?

For species (measured as total length) with a flat or rounded tail (red drum, spotted seatrout, and tripletail) there will be little change since minimal length is gained by squeezing the tail on those species. For species with a concave or “forked” tail (measured as total length) the new interpretation will only have a small impact, but the overall effect on the stock will be negligable. Also, the new
interpretation will only affect anglers who had been interpreting
total length to mean total length-relaxed (unsqueezed tail).


What effect will this clarification have on snook stocks?
If you were not squeezing the tail before, there is approximately a 0.77 inch difference between a relaxed tail and a squeezed tail. However, because of the variation in size-at-age, squeezing the tail will have a small effect on the overall snook stock. Due to public
concern about the status of snook stocks, the FWC voted at its June
2006 Commission meeting to shift the snook slot from 26 - 34 inches
to 27 - 34 inches in order to negate any potential negative effects
on snook stocks. This shift will result in a 22% harvest reduction
on the Gulf coast and a 12% reduction on the Atlantic coast
according to the most recent snook stock assessment. The change is predicted to result in an increase in spawning potential ratio (SPR)
by 7% on the Gulf coast and 5% on the Atlantic coast.


Should you pinch the tail at both ends of the slot for fish that have a slot limit?
Yes

Does this change apply to freshwater fish also?
The Division of Freshwater Fisheries Management measures all regulated fish using a total length measurement with a squeezed tail.


History of Finfish Measurement in Florida

The State of Florida has wrestled with how to measure saltwater finfish since 1925. In 1925 the Legislature first enacted length measurements for marine finfish. Many different methods have been used over the years (1925-1973) including: tip of nose to fork of tail, tip of nose to tip of tail, tip of nose to end of tail, and tip of nose to rear center edge of tail. At any one time, one or all of these definitions were used. In the late 1980s both a total length and a fork length size limit were listed in rule for some species. By the mid 1990s, only one measure was chosen for most species primarily based on the way federal regulations specified how the species should be measured.


Why Aren’t all Fish Measured by a Single Method?
At the present time most of the regulated species in Florida are measured by either a total length or fork length method. The method chosen depends on the shape of the tail and primarily on the consistency with federal regulations. Consistency with federal regulations is very important for the enforcement of state and federal size limits.

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