Florida will make Redfish catch and release

[Capt Sal]

Starting Sept 1 on the East Coast of Florida Redfish will be catch and release only. We are talking about "Redfish" not Red Snapper. Redfish are Drum and mostly inshore. So you see it is not only NJ but the entire East Coast that has draconian limits for our most popular Species . It was one fish 18-27" ?? Our Red Snapper season on the East Coast is two whole days-WOW!!! But not for Commercial boats! I am all for conservation but this is going way overboard.

[hammer4reel]

Starting Sept 1 on the East Coast of Florida Redfish will be catch and release only. We are talking about "Redfish" not Red Snapper. Redfish are Drum and mostly inshore. So you see it is not only NJ but the entire East Coast that has draconian limits for our most popular Species . It was one fish 18-27" ?? Our Red Snapper season on the East Coast is two whole days-WOW!!! But not for Commercial boats! I am all for conservation but this is going way overboard.

Politicians want to be able to sell the rights to keep fish as a political perk .
They could care less who they put out of business .
They are destroying billion dollar industries where they can’t access the money .
.

[Billfish715]

I guess that fantastic redfish angling in and around Mayport and Jacksonville will really take a hit. That doesn't leave much for the inshore fishermen to catch. Maybe some flounder or sheepshead or sea trout. The jumbo reds that are caught up there are all released anyhow, so why all of the drama? It seems that taking a few smaller/market sized reds won't hurt anything.

[bulletbob]

People went insane when chef Paul Prudhomme came up with "blackened redfish" years ago, and every available red was thrown into an extremely hot frying pan with a bunch of burnt to black spices and devoured.. Within a few short years the reds were about gone to satisfy the intense demand for an extremely popular dish... Sadly it was impose strict limits/shut down the fishery or simply lose the species pretty much...

Same thing happened up here, perhaps to a lesser extent.. Blackfish were super abundant decade after decade, until the live fish market in large cities went berserk and people started paying $50-$60 for a live Blackfish to take home and slice into thin pieces and dip into soy sauce or wasabi.. It doesn't really take that much these days to put intense pressure on a species, just a "fad" food item will do it sometimes. Then we get the government involved to "help" and it goes from bad to worse... I don't know why these things didn't happen years ago.. These fish were as good to eat then as they are now, but I dunno, eating fish was not as "fashionable" as it is today... I guess.... bob

[Capt Sal]

I guess that fantastic redfish angling in and around Mayport and Jacksonville will really take a hit. That doesn't leave much for the inshore fishermen to catch. Maybe some flounder or sheepshead or sea trout. The jumbo reds that are caught up there are all released anyhow, so why all of the drama? It seems that taking a few smaller/market sized reds won't hurt anything.

It starts from Ponce Inlet South. How they figure this out is beyond me. It not like you fill your freezer with Red Fish but i would keep one for dinner.

[shrimpman steve]

What is going on in this country is insane

[PortlyRedhead]

The Indian River Lagoon will be catch and release only.
Anglers can still keep a redfish in the rest of Florida.

Here are the redfish regulations for Florida starting Sept 1,
2023. https://myfwc.com/news/all-news/redfish-722/

[CODCHALY]

BULLET BOB makes a good point. I only (fished) too eat. Never sold.
Fished is in (), caused I can't justify the money, to come Home, no food !!!

[bulletbob]

I was never one to place all the blame on commercials for a species getting scare. Its anyone that eats fish no matter how or where its caught.. Over the years I have noticed a trend however.. certain species decade after decade went pretty much unnoticed, and the populations were always stable..
then something happens- a species becomes wildly popular for whatever reason-Its fashionable to eat it, a hot new recipe that some chef dreams up, its super healthy, all the cool hip people are eating it, etc etc...

For years and years stores could not give Bluefish away.. People refused to buy it... Then at some point, I noticed big ugly grey Bluefish fillets on ice in all the stores, and piles of smaller blues in the round as well. people started buying it. Then not long after, we started seeing drastic drops in numbers of Bluefish... Same with Atlantic mackerel.. No one wanted them, and they there every year by the millions... Then the sushi craze hit a few decades ago, and mackerel were in big demand by sushi chefs and consumers for Saba, and other preparations... Then we all saw what happened to the Mackerel... I hope one day some big celebrity chef decides that dogfish and Ocean Pout are the next "hip" trend in the culinary world, and creates a huge demand, and that summer flounder and sea bass are out, and are no longer considered worthy species for their "creations".... bob

[Billfish715]

Florida will have to build a redfish hatchery on the East Coast to match those in other states along the Gulf. Texas has a fantastic hatchery system and their reds (and fluke/flounder) are doing fantastically. Start stocking that part of Florida with reds.

As for gourmet cooking of underutilized fish, don't forget skates and sea robins. Skates are used for lobster bait in New England and some make it to gormet French restaurants. As for dogfish and sea robins, they are already a staple food source in Great Britain. I think some dogfish is actually shipped to the UK from the states.

[Capt Sal]

Florida will have to build a redfish hatchery on the East Coast to match those in other states along the Gulf. Texas has a fantastic hatchery system and their reds (and fluke/flounder) are doing fantastically. Start stocking that part of Florida with reds.

As for gourmet cooking of underutilized fish, don't forget skates and sea robins. Skates are used for lobster bait in New England and some make it to gormet French restaurants. As for dogfish and sea robins, they are already a staple food source in Great Britain. I think some dogfish is actually shipped to the UK from the states.

I agree as there is a Salt Water License required. They bring in alot of money with tourists also. My Grandson came down last moth and i had two buy him a Salt Water and Fresh Water license. I don't mind because the use the money wisely. Our launch ramps are for free and most have a clean rest room. The money from the fresh water license is used to buy land and build new lakes. Seniors over 65 don't pay for hunting or fishing license. Children under 16 don't pay either. As long as my money goes to a good cause i have no complaints.