Brenda Brand

The report covers various updates related to the Gulf Council's management of marine fisheries. Key topics include an increase in the lane snapper quota, concerns regarding federal shark management and potential recreational harvest restrictions, and the status of the overfished greater amberjack stock with discussions on state management alternatives. Additionally, the report outlines the private recreational red snapper season structure, state allocations, federal for-hire red snapper management challenges, and progress on an Exempted Fishing Permit for gag grouper to evaluate state-level management.

The commission meeting included the presentation of several awards and recognitions, including the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida annual awards and the Florida Land Steward award. Key action items addressed and approved included final rules for regulated wildlife trapping, spotted seatrout regional management, hunting rules for the 2026-2027 season, listing status updates for several species, and manatee protection zones in Indian River County. Staff reports were provided on the South Atlantic and Gulf Fishery Management Councils, federal congressional legislative impacts, Gulf striped bass management, and conservation engagement and education efforts.

This document presents the proposed 2026/2027 workplan for the Division of Marine Fisheries Management, outlining anticipated activities for the fiscal year to guide resource allocation and cooperative efforts. The plan is developed annually considering sustainability needs, commissioner input, stakeholder concerns, and research implications. Workplan items are organized into Commission Meeting Items, Programming, and Exploratory categories. Key focal points for the 2026/2027 cycle include Gulf and Atlantic Red Snapper, Gulf Gag Grouper, Oysters, Coastal Corridor Framework, Federal Congressional Engagement, Catch a Florida Memory program, and Coral Restoration and Recovery.

This staff report provides an update on the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council's actions, primarily detailing discussions and final actions from the December 8-12 meeting and a January 23 webinar meeting. Key discussions included fast-track actions for Black Sea Bass management due to overfished status, involving reducing the recreational bag limit from 7 to 3 fish and implementing a February-March spawning season closure. Catch limits for Blueline Tilefish were approved for a slight increase based on a recent assessment. The Council also took final action to establish a shrimp fishery access area off Florida's east coast by reopening historical rock shrimp fishing grounds, which required a special webinar on January 23, 2026, after the December meeting was unable to finalize the action. A significant portion of the report concerns the Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) proposal submitted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to test state management of the recreational Atlantic red snapper fishery starting in 2026, detailing Council feedback and ongoing review processes with NOAA Fisheries.

The meeting covered several key actions and discussions. Executive Director Young announced Mr. Christopher Torres as the new General Counsel and highlighted several initiatives including the Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday and the 2025 Lionfish Challenge. Major Alberto Maza was announced as the new Director of the Division of Law Enforcement. A significant portion of the discussion centered on Lake Okeechobee's water management, where Commissioners supported creating a new inter-agency task force led by FWC to address concerns and enhance the lake's ecology. The Commission approved staff-recommended proposed rules for the 2026-2027 hunting regulations and final rules regarding nonnative Prohibited reptiles. Final rules for Apalachicola Bay Oyster Management and Statewide Regulations were approved despite concerns raised by Franklin County Commissioners regarding commercial oystermen caps and harvesting thresholds. The Commission approved staff recommendations for spotted seatrout regional management but deferred action on listing the Florida reef gecko as an endangered species pending further review. Proposed rule amendments updating wildlife trapping regulations were approved with modifications after extensive public comment regarding training, reporting, trap types, and financial implications for trappers. Final rules for Phase II updates to the Marine Special Activity License Program were approved, following a temporary suspension of new SALs for collecting ESA-listed sharks and rays due to public concern over a recent manta ray collection. A new slow-speed minimum wake boating safety zone in Broward County was also approved.