Miami, Hialeah and Miramar men cited in the Keys for small fish, sheriff’s office says
When three men from Miami, Hialeah and Miramar talk about their Saturday fishing trip in the Florida Keys and the size of their fish, it might be about the fish being too small.
Three men got cited for having mangrove snapper and yellowtail snapper that were under the size limit and having a dead slippery dick wrasse at all. Each received a notice-to-appear citation.
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said Deputy Brandon White found Miami’s Sebastian Gonzalez, 45, with four mangrove snappers cut up to be used as bait. Each, White said, was under the required 10 inches.
Moving from the south end of the Seven Mile Bridge to the Boca Chica Bridge, Deputy White said he found 35-year-old Hialeah man Yoennis Cazorla Mendoza, and 38-year-old Miramar man Yenier Montano. White said they had mangrove snappers around 7 inches and yellowtail snappers around 8 inches (about 4 inches short of good on the yellowtail).
It didn’t matter how long the dead slippery dick wrasse was. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, possession requires a Marine Life Bycatch Endorsement. Mendoza and Montano allegedly came up short there, too.
This story was originally published October 25, 2020 at 3:53 PM.
