Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

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.

This staff report provides an update on actions taken by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) from its December 8-12 meeting and a January 23 webinar. Key final actions included reducing the recreational bag limit for Black Sea Bass from 7 to 3 fish and implementing a February-March spawning season closure due to overfishing concerns. For Blueline Tilefish, catch limits were slightly increased following a recent assessment. Furthermore, the Council took final action during a January 23 webinar to establish a shrimp fishery access area off Florida's east coast to reopen historically productive rock shrimp fishing grounds. The report extensively details the progress of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) Exempted Fishing Permit (EFP) application to NOAA Fisheries to test state management of the recreational Atlantic red snapper fishery starting in 2026, noting ongoing reviews and philosophical differences with NOAA regarding management style.

This document presents the 2025 Annual Review of Spotted Seatrout Management Metrics for the Big Bend region. It critically assesses key aspects such as spawning potential ratio, the impacts of harmful algal blooms, fishing effort, landings, and stakeholder satisfaction, alongside their perceived threats to the fishery. The review also details habitat trends in seagrass, saltwater marsh, and mangrove swamp, as well as abundance trends for both young-of-year and adult seatrout. Findings indicate that Florida's Gulf stock is exceeding management goals, angler satisfaction in the Big Bend is high, and the seatrout population is relatively stable, despite some localized seagrass decline.

This document outlines the listing process for the Florida reef gecko and presents a proposed Species Action Plan (SAP) and Species Conservation Measures and Permitting Guidelines. The plan aims to improve the conservation status of the Florida reef gecko to facilitate its removal from the Florida Endangered and Threatened Species List. Key objectives include maintaining and increasing occupied habitat and encouraging research for informed planning, with 19 conservation actions focusing on habitat enhancement, law enforcement education, research, and long-term monitoring. The guidelines also aim to streamline technical assistance and permitting processes.