Did you get your lobster dinner? Florida miniseason starts out smooth, authorities say

The first day of lobster miniseason, when recreational anglers get the first shot at bagging their limits, was going smoothly with no major emergencies, arrests or crashes reported in the Florida Keys as of Wednesday afternoon.

The novel coronavirus pandemic apparently didn’t keep boaters from the water or tourists from visiting the Keys.

“It’s surprisingly busy with the COVID stuff,” said Bobby Dube, spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “I don’t want to jinx myself but it’s been very manageable. A lot of boats out there.”

At about 3 p.m., Dube said there had been a couple of arrests, including one intoxicated boater, but he reported no lobster violations.

The Keys braced for this year’s two-day miniseason, which opened at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday and runs through Thursday night, and has historically drawn hordes of tourists who compete with the locals out on the water.

But so far, so good, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday afternoon. Like FWC, they had few issues reported due to miniseason.

“So far, nothing bad,” said Adam Linhardt, spokesman for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, which spent the day posting photos of happy anglers showing off their catches on social media. “All we’ve had are a few violations here and there but, knock on wood it’s gone really well as far as we’re concerned.”

Special restrictions are in place for miniseason, including boat ramp closures across the Keys.

Islamorada closed all its parks, beaches and public boat ramps, while cities like Marathon and Key West compromised, leaving some open to locals only or people with proof they’re staying at a hotel or vacation rental.

Alcohol sales are prohibited between 11 p.m. and 7 p.m. and restaurants must be empty by 11 p.m. nightly and can’t reopen until after 5 a.m. Those rules run through Aug. 19.

The regular eight-month lobster season opens Aug. 6.

One tourist was ordered to appear in court after police said they found him with a queen conch, which is a protected species.

William Aycock of Sumter, South Carolina, was cited after a routine check off Marathon, according to an MCSO Facebook post.

Deputies returned the conch to the sea alive.

This story was originally published July 29, 2020 at 4:01 PM.

Gwen Filosa

Miami Herald

Gwen Filosa covers Key West and the Lower Florida Keys for FLKeysNews.com and the Miami Herald and lives in Key West. She was part of the staff at the New Orleans Times-Picayune that in 2005 won two Pulitzer Prizes for coverage of Hurricane Katrina. She graduated from Indiana University.