Source: https://gulfcouncil.org/fishing-regulations/federal-2/
Timestamp: 2019-12-14 21:56:20
Document Index: 346647692

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 600', '§ 600', 'ART 622', '§622', '§622', '§622']

Area Boundaries & Closures
NOTE: Click on a species image for detailed information about that species.
Snappers Season Size Bag Limit Aggregate
Closed January through May, August through December
Federally permitted for-hire season: Open 12:01 am June 1 – Closes 12:01 am August 2. Private recreational season: Determined by each Gulf State 16″ TL 2 per person
Open January through December 12″ TL None 10 snapper combined total
Open January through December 18″ TL 5 per person
Open January through December 12″ TL None
Open January through December None None
Vermilion Snapper*
Open January through December
*Subject to in-season closure if ACL is projected to be met 10″ TL 10 per person 20 reef fish combined total
LaneSnapper
Open January through December 8″ TL None
Groupers Season Size Bag Limit Aggregate
Gag Grouper*
Closed January through May – Open June through December
*Subject to in-season closure if ACL is projected to be met 24″ TL 2 per person 4 grouper combined total
Open January – Closed February through March when fishing beyond 20 fathom break – Open April through December – *Subject to in-season closure if ACL is projected to be met 20″ TL 2 per person
Open January – Closed February through March when fishing beyond 20 fathom break – Open April through December 24″ TL None
Open January – Closed February through March when fishing beyond 20 fathom break – Open April through December 20″ TL None
Scamp Grouper*
Open January – Closed February through March when fishing beyond 20 fathom break – Open April through December
16″ TL None
Open January – Closed February through March when fishing beyond 20 fathom break – Open April through December None None
None 1 per vessel
CLOSED n/a Harvest Prohibited
Other Reef Fish Season Size Bag Limit Aggregate
Open January through December None None 20 reef fish combined total
Gray Triggerfish*
Closed January through February – Open March through May 10th – Closed 12:01 am, local time, on May 11, 2019 through December 2019 – *Subject to in-season closure if ACL is projected to be met 15″ FL 1 per person
Open January through December 14″ FL 5 per person
Greater Amberjack*
Closed January through July (ACT was met August-October, 2018, therefore season did not reopen for May 2019) – Open August through October – Closed November through December – *Subject to in-season closure if ACL is projected to be met. 34″ FL 1 per person
Open January through December 14″-22″ FL None 5 fish combined total
Open January through December 14″-22″ FL None
Coastal Migratory Pelagics Season Size Bag Limit
33″ FL*
*Increase to 36″ FL pending
Open January through December 12″ FL 15 per person
24″ FL 3 per person
Shellfish Season Size Bag Limit
Closed April 1 through August 5 with a 2 day mini-season the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July. 3″ minimum carapace 6 per person
Other Season Size Bag Limit
Closed None None
Coral and Other Species
Harvest or possession of wild live rock is prohibited. Harvest and possession of aquacultured live rock requires a permit.
Marine life organisms from the EEZ harvested or possessed by Florida residents or landed in Florida are subject to Florida’s Marine Life Rule. Contact Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission for more information 850-488-4676.
Tunas, Billfish, Swordfish, Sharks
For Highly Migratory Species Compliance Guide Visit: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/atlantic-highly-migratory-species/atlantic-highly-migratory-species-fishery-compliance-guides
Contact the HMS Division of NOAA Fisheries for more information: 301-427-8503
Snappers Quota Size Trip Limit
6,312,613 lbs GW 13″ TL Red Snapper is managed under an IQ program. Anyone fishing for red snapper must possess IFQ allocation and follow established protocols.
Combined commercial and recreational ACL of 2,420,000 lbs WW 12″ TL None
Combined commercial and recreational ACL of 139,392 lbs WW 18″ TL None
Combined commercial and recreational ACL of 901,125 lbs WW – Fishing year begins August 1st 12″ TL None
Combined commercial and recreational ACL of 5,065 lbs WW 12″ TL None
Combined commercial and recreational ACL of 3,110,000 lbs WW 10″ TL None
Combined commercial and recreational ACL of 301,000 lbs WW 8″ TL None
Combined commercial and recreational ACL of 166,000 lbs WW None None
Groupers Quota Size Trip Limit
939,000 lbs GW 24″ TL Grouper are managed under an IFQ program. Anyone commercially fishing for grouper must possess IFQ allocation and follow established protocols.
3,000,000 lbs GW 18″ TL
Shallow water grouper quota – 525,000 lbs GW 24″ TL
Shallow water grouper quota – 525,000 lbs GW 20″ TL
Shallow water grouper quota – 525,000 lbs GW
*For the purposes of the IFQ, DWG allocation may be used to land and sell scamp once an IFQ account holder’s other SWG allocation has been landed and sold or transferred.
16″ TL
Shallow water grouper quota – 525,000 lbs GW None
Deep water grouper quota – 1,024,000 lbs GW None
Speckled Hind Grouper*
Deep water grouper quota – 1,024,000 lbs GW
*For purposes of the IFQ, these species are also included in the 525,000 lb GW SWG quota
Other Reef Fish Quota Size Trip Limit
Overall tilefish quota – 582,000 lbs GW None Tilefish are managed under an IFQ program. Anyone commercially fishing for tilefish must possess IFQ allocation and follow established protocols.
Overall tilefish quota – 582,000 lbs GW None
Combined commercial and recreational ACL of 129,500 lbs WW
*Regulations specific to Gulf of Mexico hogfish management zone. Florida Keys hogfish managed by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (see Area Boundaries and Closures tab) 14″ FL None
60,900 lbs WW – Closed June 1 through July 31 14″ FL 16 fish
349,766 lbs WW – Closed March-May – Opens June 1 (12:01 am, EST) and closes June 9 (12:01 am, EST) 36″ FL 1,500 lbs GW – 1,560 lbs WW
Combined commercial and recreational ACL of 312,000 lbs WW 14″-22″ FL slot limit None
Combined commercial and recreational ACL of 312,000 lbs WW None None
Coastal Migratory Pelagics Quota Size Trip Limit
*Increase to 36″ FL pending Daily possession limit of 2 pp
Combined commercial and recreational quota: 11.3 MP – Fishing year begins April 1 12″ FL None
Combined Gulf Group ACL: 2,740,000 lbs mixed weight (mixed weight is defined as the weight of the fish as they are landed in any condition, o.e., whole, gutted, or otherwise.
575,400 pounds mixed weight
Season opens at 6:00 a.m. the day after the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday, including the first weekend after the opening, and remains open on weekdays until the quota is projected to be met, or until June 30.
Season opens July 1 and remains open until the quota is projected to be met, or until June 30.
493,200 pounds mixed weight
Opens October 1 and remains open until the quota is projected to be met, or until September 30.
1,096,000 pounds mixed weight
Opens July 1 and remains open until the quota is projected to be met, or until June 30.
24″ FL – Maximum of 5% by weight may be undersized Southern Zone:
45,000 pounds mixed weightHook and Line
1,250 pounds mixed weightNorthern Zone:
1,250 pounds mixed weightWestern Zone:
3,000 pounds mixed weight
Shellfish Quota/Closed Season Size Trip Limit
Closed April 1 through August 5 Carapace more than 3″ or tail more than 5 1/2″. Divers must measure in water.
250 per day/vessel for spiny lobsters harvested by bully net or diving*
*Harvesting by bully net in or from all federal waters off Florida. Harvesting by diving in or from federal waters only off Broward, Dade, Monroe, Collier, and Lee Counties, Florida
Royal red shrimp is exempt. Royal red annual catch limit-337,000 lbs tail weight. Royal red season opens January 1 and closes when the quota is reached or projected to be reached None, but white shrimp taken in the EEZ and transported to Louisiana must comply with minimum size limit of that state. None
Octocorals (soft corals) were removed from the Coral and Coral Reefs Fishery Management Plan and are now managed by Florida FWC in state and federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. See Florida Fish Wildlife & Conservation Commission regulations.
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council manages fisheries in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico Exclusive Economic Zone. Federal waters begin where state waters end and extend to the 200 mile limit of the Gulf of Mexico.
Part 600 – Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions
Subpart B – Regional Fishery Management Councils
§ 600.105 Intercouncil boundaries.
(c) South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Councils. The Boundary coincides with the line of demarcation between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, which begins at the intersection of the outer boundary of the EEZ, as specified in the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and 83°00’ W long., proceeds northward along that meridian to 24° 35’ N lat. (near the Dry Tortugas Islands), thence eastward along that parallel, through Rebecca Shoal and the Quicksand Shoal, to the Marquesas Keys, and then through the Florida Keys to the mainland at the eastern end of Florida Bay, the line so running that the narrow waters within the Dry Tortugas Islands, the Marquesas Keys and the Florida Keys, and between the Florida Keys and the mainland are within the Gulf of Mexico.
A state may regulate vessels that are registered in that state and fishing in federal waters for species for which there are no federal fishery management plans or applicable federal regulations, or for which the appropriate fishery management plan has delegated management of the state and the state rules are consistent with federal regulations.
NOTE: Federally permitted for-hire reef fish vessels must comply with the more restrictive of federal or state reef fish regulations when fishing for reef fish in state waters.
Additional Rules – Commerical
Vessel Monitoring Systems are required onboard all vessels with federal commercial permits for Gulf reef fish, including charter vessels/headboats that also have a commercial reef fish permit.
Entangling nets may not be used for directed harvest of reef fish.
Reef Fish taken under recreational bag limit may not be sold.
Commercial vessels are prohibited from retaining reef fish caught under the recreational size and bag/possession limit when commercial quantities of Gulf reef fish are on board.
Reef fish as bait is prohibited.
Reef fish gear is limited to no more than 3 hooks in a special management zone off Alabama. Nonconforming gear is restricted to bag limits, or for reef fish without a bag limit, to 5% by weight of all fish onboard.
Vessels with shrimp trawls or entangling net gear onboard may not exceed the recreational reef fish bag limits.
Stressed areas for reef fish begin at the shoreward boundary of federal waters and generally follow the 10 fathom contour from the Dry Tortugas to Sanibel Island; the 20 fathom contour to Tarpon Springs; the 10 fathom contour to Cape San Blas; the 25 fathom contour to south of Mobile Bay; the 13 fathom contour to Ship Island, Mississippi; the 10 fathom contour off Louisiana; and the 30 fathom contour off Texas. In designated “stressed areas” use of roller trawls and power heads for taking reef fish is prohibited.
All fish except for bait and oceanic migratory species taken from federal waters must have heads and fins intact through landing. Up to 1.5 pounds of legal finfish exempt from this rule for personal consumption at sea provided the vessel is equipped to cook such finfish.
A state may regulate vessels that are registered in that state and that are fishing in federal waters for species for which there are no federal fishery management plans or applicable federal regulations.
Vessels participating in the reef fish fishery must possess dehooking devices and use non-stainless steel circle hooks when using natural baits. Circle hooks are not required when commercial fishing for yellowtail snapper, south of a line extending due west from 25° 09’ N latitude of the west coast of Monroe county, Florida.
Operators of vessels with Gulf of Mexico reef fish commercial or charter vessel/headboat permits must comply with guidelines for proper care and release of incidentally caught smalltooth sawfish and sea turtles and possess onboard specific gear to ensure proper release of such species.
There is no limit on the total number of hooks kept onboard bottom longline vessels, however, the number of hooks rigged for fishing is limited to 750.
Additional Rules – Recreational
Two-Day Bag Limit
Persons on qualified charter vessels or headboats with two captains for trips in excess of 24 hours may possess a 2-day bag limit of reef fish, king mackerel, and Spanish mackerel. One-day bag limits apply to all other species and trips, regardless of length.
Head & Fins Attached
All fish, except for bait and oceanic migratory species, taken from federal waters must have heads and fins intact through landing. Up to 1.5 pounds of legal finfish per person is exempt from this rule for personal consumption at sea, provided the vessel is equipped to cook such finfish.
For-hire captains and crew are prohibited from retaining bag limits of any grouper, red snapper, or greater amberjack while under charter.
Federally permitted for-hire reef fish vessels must comply with the more restrictive of federal or state reef fish regulations when fishing for reef fish in state waters.
The use of federally managed reef fish as bait is prohibited.
Reef fish gear is limited to no more than 3 hooks in a special management zone off of Alabama. Nonconforming gear is restricted to bag limit. For reef fish without a bag limit, nonconforming gear is restricted to 5% by weight of all fish onboard.
Use of roller trawls and power heads for taking reef fish is prohibited in designated stressed areas. Stressed areas for reef fish begin at the shoreward boundary of federal waters and generally follow the 10 fathom contour from the Dry Tortugas to Sanibel Island; the 20 fathom contour to Tarpon Springs; the 10 fathom contour to Cape San Blas; the 25 fathom contour to south of Mobile Bay; the 13 fathom contour to Ship Island, Mississippi; the 10 fathom contour off Louisiana; and the 30 fathom contour off Texas.
Sale of Recreationally Caught Reef Fish
Reef fish taken under the recreational bag limit may not be sold.
Care and Release of Incidental Catch of Smalltooth Sawfish and Sea Turtles
Operators of vessels with Gulf of Mexico reef fish commercial or charter vessel/headboat permits must comply with guidelines for proper care and release of incidentally caught smalltooth sawfish and sea turtles and must possess onboard specific gear to ensure proper release of such species.
Recreational Permit Requirements
Charter Vessel/headboat coastal pelagics permit
Charter vessel and headboats fishing for king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, and cobia. NOTE: Issuance of new permits is under a moratorium effective June 16, 2003.
Charter vessel/headboat reef fish permit
Charter vessels and headboats fishing for snappers, groupers, amberjack, tilefish, hogfish, and gray triggerfish. NOTE: Issuance of new permits is under a moratorium effective June 16, 2003.
Highly migratory species (HMS) charter/headboat permit
All charter or headboats that fish for or possess highly migratory species.
HMS recreational angling permit
Owners of vessels used to fish recreationally for Atlantic HMS – Atlantic tunas (other than blackfin), billfish, sharks, and swordfish.
No federal permit or license required. Anglers are responsible for obtaining any state fishing license required.
Applications for permits may be obtained from the National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office, 263 13th Avenue S., St. Petersburg, Florida 33701, or by calling 877-376-4877. Tuna, swordfish, and shark permits may be obtained by calling 888-872-8862 or 978-281-9260.
Florida commercial harvester license and certificates required for harvest or possession in excess of the bag limits in the EEZ off Florida or to land or sell in Florida. Federal vessel permit required for harvest or possession in excess of the bag limits in the EEZ other than off Florida or sale other than Florida. May retain up to 50 spiny lobsters under the minimum size limit, and one per trap.
Spiny lobster tail separation permit
Possession of a separated spiny lobster tail in or from the EEZ aboard a vessel. Also requires a spiny lobster federal vessel permit or Florida state license and certificates. Fishermen with tailing permits must land spiny lobster all whole or all tailed.
Permit required for all vessels that intend to fish for shrimp in EEZ waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Permit moratorium in effect. Endorsement required for royal red shrimp. Shrimp trawlers must have a bycatch reduction device (BRD) and an approved turtle excluder device (TED) installed in each net that is rigged for fishing. State-licensed shrimpers may transit from state waters through federal waters to return to state waters and port without a federal permit when gear is appropriately stowed.
Harvest of king or Spanish mackerel under quota and in excess of the bag limits. Issuance of new king mackerel permits is under moratorium, but existing permits are transferable. There is no moratorium on Spanish mackerel permits, but these permits are not transferable.
Harvest of king mackerel in the Florida west coast subzone using a gillnet. Also requires a mackerel vessel permit. Permit moratorium, area restrictions, and restrictions on permit transfer are in effect.
Permit required for vessels commercially harvesting reef fish in the Gulf of Mexico. All reef fish permitted vessels landing federally managed reef-fish must land at approved locations and hail-in at least 3 hours, but no more than 24 hours before landing.
Possession or harvest of cultivated live rock. Florida state permits are also required to land live rock in Florida. Wild live rock possession/harvest prohibited.
A dealer to receive Gulf reef fish harvested from federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. A Gulf IFQ dealer endorsement is also required.
Marine Sanctuaries and Area Closures
Note: All coordinates have been converted to degrees, minutes, seconds.
Below is a summary of regulated activity within the FGBNMS. For the full text, contact the Sanctuary office at 409-621-5151 or visit www.flowergarden.noaa.gov.
Fishing and Related Activities
Injuring, catching, harvesting, collecting or feeding, or attempting to injure, catch, harvest, collect or feed, any fish within the sanctuary by use of any gear, device, equipment or means (e.g. spear guns, nets) except by use of conventional hook and line gear.
Possessing (except while passing through the sanctuary without interruption) any fishing gear, device, equipment, or means except conventional hook and line gear.
Possessing or using explosives or releasing electrical charges within the sanctuary.
Conventional hook and line gear means any fishing apparatus operated aboard a vessel and composed of a single line terminated by a combination of sinkers and hooks or lures and spooled upon a reel that may be hand or electrically operated, hand-held or mounted.
Anchoring any vessel within the Sanctuary.
Mooring a vessel over 100 feet in registered length on a Sanctuary mooring buoy.
Discharging or depositing any material or other matter within the Sanctuary is prohibited, with the following exceptions:
Fish, fish parts, chumming materials or bait used in or resulting from fishing with conventional hook and line gear in the sanctuary.
Clean effluent from an operable Type I or Type II marine sanitation devise (MSD).
Clean water generated by routine vessel operations (e.g. engine exhaust, cooling water, deck wash down, and gray water), excluding oily wastes from bilge pumping.
Injuring or removing, or attempting to injure or remove, any coral or other bottom formation, coralline algae or other plant, marine invertebrate (e.g., spiny lobster, queen conch, shell, sea urchin), brine-seep biota or carbonate rock.
Possessing within the Sanctuary (regardless of where collected), any coral or other bottom formation, coralline algae or other plant, or fish (except for fish caught by use of conventional hook and line gear).
Drilling into, dredging, or otherwise altering the seabed of the sanctuary; or constructing, placing, or abandoning any structure, material, or other matter on the seabed of the Sanctuary.
50 CFR: Wildlife and Fisheries – PART 622 FISHERIES OF THE CARIBBEAN, GULF OF MEXICO, AND SOUTH ATLANTIC
§622.34 – Gulf EEZ seasonal and/or area closures.
(j) West and East Flower Garden Banks HAPC. Fishing with a bottom longline, bottom trawl, buoy gear, dredge, pot, or trap and bottom anchoring by fishing vessels are prohibited year-round.
(s) Stetson Bank HAPC. Fishing with a bottom longline, bottom trawl, buoy gear, pot, or trap and bottom anchoring by fishing vessels are prohibited year-round.
(t) McGrail Bank HAPC. Fishing with a bottom longline, bottom trawl, buoy gear, pot, or trap and bottom anchoring by fishing vessels are prohibited year-round.
Fishing with a bottom longline, bottom trawl, buoy gear, pot, or trap and bottom anchoring by fishing vessels are prohibited year-round.
Tortugas North and South Ecological Reserves
The following locations are closed to all fishing. Anchoring of fishing vessels is also not allowed. The boundaries of the areas are as follows:
RECREATIONAL Tortugas North
COMMERCIAL Tortugas North
Madison Swanson, Steamboat Lumps, and the Edges
(2) Within the Madison and Swanson sites and Steamboat Lumps, possession of Gulf reef fish is prohibited, except for such possession aboard a vessel in transit with fishing gear stowed as specified in paragraph (k)(4) of this section.
(4) For the purpose of paragraph (k) of this section, transit means non-stop progression through the area; fishing gear appropriately stowed means –
(ii) A trawl net may remain on deck, but trawl doors must be disconnected from the trawl gear and must be secured.
(iii) A gillnet must be left on the drum. Any additional gillnets not attached to the drum must be stowed below deck.
(iv) A rod and reel must be removed from the rod holder and stowed securely on or below deck. Terminal gear (i.e., hook, leader, sinker, flasher, or bait) must be disconnected and stowed separately from the rod and reel. Sinkers must be disconnected from the down rigger and stowed separately.
(5) Within the Madison and Swanson sites and Steamboat Lumps, during May through October, surface trolling is the only allowable fishing activity. For the purpose of this paragraph (k)(5), surface trolling is defined as fishing with lines trailing behind a vessel which is in constant motion at speeds in excess of four knots with a visible wake. Such trolling may not involve the use of down riggers, wire lines, planers, or similar devices.
(6) For the purpose of paragraph (k) of this section, fish means finfish, mollusks, crustaceans, and all other forms of marine animal and plant life other than marine mammals and birds. Highly migratory species means tuna species, marlin (Tetrapturus spp. and Makaira spp.), oceanic sharks, sailfishes (Istiophorus spp.), and swordfish (Xiphias gladius).
Madison-Swanson and Steamboat Lumps Reserves are closed to reef-fish fishing year round. Surface trolling for species other than reef fish is allowed May 1 through October 31.
The Edges (40 fathom contour)
The Edges (40 fathom contour) is closed January 1 through April 30 to all fishing. The Edges is a 390 nautical square mile region northwest of Steamboat Lumps.
(b) Florida middle grounds HAPC. Fishing with a bottom longline, bottom trawl, dredge, pot, or trap is prohibited year round.
(r) Pulley Ridge HAPC. Fishing with a bottom longline, bottom trawl, buoy gear, pot, or trap and bottom anchoring by fishing vessels are prohibited year-round in the HAPC.
Commercial Shrimp Closures
Texas Shrimp Closure
From 30 minutes after official sunset on May 15 to 30 minutes after official sunset on July 12, trawling, except trawling for royal red shrimp beyond 100-fathom depth contour, is prohibited in the Gulf EEZ off Texas.
Note: The Regional Administrator may adjust the closing and/or opening date of the Texas closure to provide an earlier, later, shorter, or longer closure, but the duration of the closure may not exceed 90 days or be less than 45 days.
Southwest Florida Seasonal Trawl Closure
From January 1 to 1 hour after official sunset on May 20, each year, trawling, including trawling for live bait, is prohibited.
Tortugas Shrimp Sanctuary Closure
Closed to trawling, except sub-areas open to trawling on the following dates:
TUVW – April 11 – September 30
WGV – April 11 – July 31
FQUT – May 26 – July 31
Tortugas Shrimp Sanctuary Openings
Commercial Stone Crab – Shrimp Closures
Zone closures created to separate shrimp trawling and stone crab trapping.
Zone I – Oct 5 – May 20 – trawling prohibited.
Zone II – Oct 5 – May 20 – trapping prohibited.
Zone III – Oct 5 – May 20 – trawling prohibited.
Zone IV – Dec 2 – Apr 1 – trawling prohibited.
Oct 5 – Dec 1 & Apr 2 – May 20 – trapping prohibited.
Zone V – Dec 1 – Mar 15 – trawling prohibited.
Oct 5 – Nov 30 & Mar 16 – May 20 – trapping prohibited.
Note: Stone Crab managed by FWC – no longer included in the federal management plan.
Stone Crab – Shrimp Closure Separation Zones
Zone 1 – Closed to trawling October 5 – May 20
Zone II – Closed to stone crab trapping October 5 – May 20
Zone III – Closed to trawling October 5 – May 20
Zone IV – Closed to stone crab trapping October 5 – December 1 & April 2 – May 20
Closed to trawling December 2 – April 1
Zone V – Closed to stone crab trapping October 5 – November 30 & March 16 – May 20
Closed to trawling December 1 – March 15
Commercial – Bottom Longline Closures
(q) Prohibitions applicable to bottom longline fishing for Gulf reef fish.
(1) From June through August each year, bottom longlining for Gulf reef fish is prohibited in the portion of the Gulf EEZ east of 85°30’ W. longitude
(3) Within the Gulf EEZ east of 85°30’ W. longitude, a vessel for which a valid eastern Gulf reef fish bottom longline endorsement has been issued that is fishing bottom longline gear or has bottom longline gear on board cannot possess more than a total of 1000 hooks including hooks on board the vessel and hooks being fished and cannot possess more than 750 hooks rigged for fishing at any given time. For the purpose of this paragraph, “hooks rigged for fishing” means hooks attached to a line or other device capable of attaching to the mainline of the longline.
(c) Reef fish longline and buoy gear restricted area. A person aboard a vessel that uses, on any trip, longline or buoy gear in the longline and buoy gear restricted area is limited on that trip to the bag limits for Gulf reef fish specified in §622.38(b) and, for Gulf reef fish for which no bag limit is specified in §622.38(b), the vessel is limited to 5 percent, by weight, of all fish on board or landed.
NOTE: A bottom longline endorsement is required to fish for reef fish east of Cape San Blas, Florida. The use of longlines and buoy gear for reef fish is prohibited inside of 50 fathoms west of Cape San Blas, Florida. East of Cape San Blas, the use of longlines and buoy gear for reef fish is prohibited inside of 20 fathoms year round and 35 fathoms during June – August (see next page). Vessels fishing within this zone and posessing longlines or buoy gear may not exceed the recreational bag limits, and for reef fish without a bag limit, 5% by weight of all fish aboard.
From June through August each year, bottom longlining for Gulf reef fish is prohibited in the portion of the Gulf EEZ east of 85°30’ W longitude (Cape San Blas).