FWC toughens fishing rules for Biscayne National Park but won’t impose no-take zones for now
Florida wildlife managers on Thursday took a first step toward protecting declining fish stocks in Biscayne National Park, agreeing to increase the minimum size and tighten bag limits for heavily pressured species, from snapper to grouper.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission approved a set of draft rules to regulate fishing inside the park for the next five to 10 years. They also agreed to the creation of five coral reef protection areas where lobster diving and trapping wouldn’t be allowed, a trap-free zone near the park’s headquarters and some no-trawl zones for shrimpers.
Commissioners didn’t go as far as to impose no-take zones pushed by environmentalists and many anglers, instead focusing on traditional restrictions with the goal of increasing the abundance of some keystone species by 20% in the marine park. The final vote to approve the rules is scheduled for February.
Commissioners did request one change, however, asking to revisit the science plan that guides decisions on fisheries resources every five years instead of every seven years.
Commissioner Rodney Barreto said more frequent review periods led the commission to sign off on then-controversial no-fishing zones at Dry Tortugas National Park.
“When we closed off areas in and around Dry Tortugas, the staff would come and justify the closures every five years,” Barreto said.
Environmentalists and some in the recreational fishing community have been calling for years for the establishment of no-take zones to reverse the staggering decline of fish stocks in the national park and surrounding waters of Biscayne Bay.
Miami’s backyard marine park, which covers almost 174,000 acres of Biscayne Bay waters and small islands, is a global attraction for anglers and divers, but it has suffered from its proximity to a major urban area and all its troubles: increased boat traffic and population growth, deteriorating water quality and marine debris. The parks’ coral reefs and seagrass meadows have been severely damaged by anchors and trap lines. To make matters worse, a large stretch of the Florida reef tract has been ravaged by a mysterious disease that is quickly spreading southwest to the Keys and the Dry Tortugas.
The draft fishery management plan would raise size limits for a number of species including red grouper (24 inches from 20 inches) and yellowtail snapper (14 inches from 12 inches), for example. The rules would also establish a 10-fish aggregate bag limit for commonly targeted fish inside the park.
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This story was originally published December 12, 2019 at 5:39 PM.
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