New Barracuda regulations for South Florida

  • NEW: The FWC approved creating a slot limit of 15 to 36 inches allowing for one fish greater than 36 inches per person or per vessel, whichever is less in some S. Florida counties at the Nov. meeting in St. Petersburg. These changes will go into effect Jan. 1, 2017.




    Barracuda: Sphyraena barracuda


    Florida Recreational and Commercial Regulations:
    Minimum Size Limit None
    Effective Jan. 1, 2017: Collier, Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Martin counties ONLY:
    15-36 inch fork length slot limit with 1 fish greater than 36 inches fork length per person or vessel per day allowed
    Daily Bag Limit Collier, Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Martin counties ONLY: 2 fish per person, 6 fish per vessel
    Closed Season None
    Management:


    Stakeholders in southeast Florida and the Florida Keys have voiced concerns about declining barracuda numbers observed when fishing and diving.
    FWC staff gathered public input from concerned stakeholders at workshops.
    Bag limits off Collier, Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Martin counties became effective Nov. 1, 2015, to prevent further declines and conserve barracuda in the region.
    The FWC approved creating a slot limit of 15 to 36 inches allowing for one fish greater than 36 inches per person or per vessel, whichever is less at the November 2016 meeting in St. Petersburg. This change goes into effect Jan. 1, 2017.

  • Good to know. I don't dive as often as I used to so I wonder how much truth there is to the "declining" barracuda population...

  • In a specific areas such as where the flats fishermen were complaining about I don't know. But they are numerous and a nuisance in Palm beach. Going from an unregulated trash fish to this is strange.


    I haven't lived, dived, fished or spearfished there but from what ive heard in terms of y'all hardly spearing/catching them to eat because of ciguatera, this also seems odd to me. What do they base this on and how long have they monitored this?

  • You hit the nail on the head. For years barracuda has been considered a trash fish, and guys coming from other cultures who shoot and eat it would get shamed for talking about it. Next thing it's regulated. The truth is there have been no studies, just some group that made noise.

  • I've got to pipe in...best ceviche and poke (Hawaiian style raw fish) ever! The mellow, non-oily meat makes it so perfect for sashimi. I've found that to cook it would be a sin...The Greater Baracuda have a very strong odor which I think cause most to think they are a bad tasting trash fish. Also there is a misconception that they are "full of bones"...WHAT?! The only valid argument against eating these meaty, mellow flavored fish is the fact that they are prone to cig. The Kaku (heller's barracuda) in Hawaiian waters and other waters (Mexico, South Pacific) don't have that "ammonia" smell like the Cuda I've taken in FLA. I've not hunted South Fla waters in a long time but central Fla both on gulf and Atlantic sides seem to have numerous cuda. The only thing I can think of for the new regulations would be that they are not hard to hunt as the greater barracuda like to "hang" stationary rather than swim through a location in schools like the kaku. The new regulation is very curious.

    HUI KOA KAI O HAMAKUA
    MAHALO KE AKUA
    E MALAMA I KE KAI

  • "The Greater Baracuda have a very strong odor"...


    The meat doesn't have a strong odor. It's the skin and slime. I've never smelled ammonia though. It does have a distinctive smell though....like only barracuda smell....:):

  • "The Greater Baracuda have a very strong odor"...


    The meat doesn't have a strong odor. It's the skin and slime. I've never smelled ammonia though. It does have a distinctive smell though....like only barracuda smell....:):


    Yes. Not the meat, only the fish after it's on the boat...but if put on ice the smell subsides. Meat is translucent and very mellow and "buttery" in its texture.

    HUI KOA KAI O HAMAKUA
    MAHALO KE AKUA
    E MALAMA I KE KAI

  • I agree, the cudas I have eaten in Asia have been great eating - used to use them for ceviche before I found out how great rainbow runners are for that (funny how some people have such great fisheries, they use runners for bait...!)
    Not sure I noticed the smell so much, but the slime, man the slime... No wonder people think they are trashy, when covered in all that goo.

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