Commissioners Make Split Decision on Snook Season

Commissioners Make Split Decision on Snook Season

September 2, 2010

During January 2010 FWC received hundreds of reports from anglers, fishing guides, and the general public regarding dead snook presumed to have been killed by cold weather and low water temperatures.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission took a proactive and precautionary measure aimed at protecting surviving snook during their spring reproductive season by issuing an executive order on January 15 that temporarily extended closed harvest seasons for snook statewide until September 1.

Today the commission reached a split decision on the future snook seasons. Capt. Pat Kelly, President of Florida Guides Association was in attendance at the meeting. He reports that of the four options present by the FWC Staff, the commissioners chose Option C for the east coast and Option D for the west coast.

Option C, adopted for Florida's east coast, will open snook in 2010, but re-close again for the spring of 2011. Specifically, this option would reopen snook on September 17 and then snook season will close again under the current regulations on December 15 on the Atlantic coast. In 2011, this option would keep snook closed from January through August in order to protect the fish during the winter months and during spawning months.

Option D, adopted for the west coast, would keep harvest of snook closed through spring 2011. Specifically, this option would keep snook closed for the remainder of 2010 and also through August 2011.

Snook harvest will reopen on both coasts on September 1, 2011.

The complete presentation prepared by the FWC staff, including all four options can be viewed by clicking here.