Florida has proposed catch-and-release-only regulations for tarpon and bonefish, species that are highly popular among fly anglers.
The proposal was announced Wednesday after a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission meeting in Tallahassee.
The purpose of banning the harvest of these species is "in recognition of the fact that their economic and fishing value as fishes caught and released greatly exceeds their value as food fish," the FWC states on its website.
If the proposal is adopted--it will be brought back before the commission in June--the following changes will be put into effect:
--The harvesting of tarpon would be banned with the exception of a single tarpon by an angler in pursuit of an International Game Fish Association world record, if that angler possesses a $50 tarpon tag.
--Tarpon tags will still cost $50 but anglers will be limited to one per year. Modifications to the tarpon tag program will include new reporting requirements and alterations to the start/end dates of a tag.
--The existing bonefish tournament exemption that allows registered tournament anglers to possess a bonefish for the purposes of transporting it to the tournament scale would be eliminated. Bonefish harvest would be banned.
Click here to view more details of the proposal.
--Atlantic tarpon image is via Wikipedia
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