Ok everyone, listen up!!
This is our last attempt to show our force in support of the FWC staff recommendations for the new Permit, Pompano, and African Pompano regulations. If approved these new recommendations will take place Jan. 1, 2011.
The meeting is NEXT week in Pensacola, FL, on Sept. 1-3. On Thursday (the 2nd) the FWC staff who have worked very hard over the last year and a half to develop very fair and balanced regulations will be presenting their recommendations to the Commissioners.
I’m going to list the FWC Staff recommendations and I will also be attaching a general letter in PDF format that you can use as it is or modify it to your views. If you have a problem with obtaining the attached letters PM me your email address here and I will send you both of them. There has been a last minute (smear) letter campaign by a small user group in S. Fl (BTT) that has aimed specifically at eliminating the recommendations for the allowance of spearing gear. The fly-fishermen have been bombing the FWC comissioners with form letters urgently asking them not to allow spearing of permit and African pompano and they will be there at the meeting. Spearos could easily trump the number of letters against if just a third of the regulars here dropped them a note in favor of allowing the same bag limit for all.
Please send the attached letter or your own letter (even better) to the FWC today.
Three or four sentences is all you need to express your opinion. In fact IMO shorter is better if they are merely counting those in favor vs. those against.
My name is XXXX, I live in XXXXX. I have a Fl fishing license, and I support equal bag limits for Permits and African Pompano for hook and line anglers and spearfishermen.
Name, Address, Phone Number
WE NEED AN OVERWHELMING SHOW OF SUPPORT OF STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS TO HELP THIS PASS!!!
The attached letter can be emailed to all the commissioners by using this address – commissioners@myfwc.com
PLEASE DO THIS TODAY AND SOUND OFF ON THIS THREAD SO WE CAN KEEP THIS THREAD ON TOP FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. :thumbsup2:
You can also send a hard copy (I highly recommend this, it’s a cost of stamp and 10 minutes out of your day) to the following address:
Attn: Executive Directors Office
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
620 South Meridian Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600
If you would like to attend the meeting in Pensacola (the FRA and a few others will be there on Tuesday to voice our support of the recommendations to the Commissioners) the meeting will be taking place here:
Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front
12 Via de Luna Drive
Pensacola Beach, FL 32561
The following is a link to the presentation that FWC Staff have prepared for the meeting on Tuesday that will cover the following recommendations –
http://myfwc.com/docs/Commissi…tPompano_presentation.pdf
Staff recommendations:
Currently in state waters, there is a slot limit of 11 to 20 inches for permit and Florida pompano. There is a bag limit of six permit and Florida pompano combined, with an allowance for one fish greater than 20 inches included within the six-fish bag limit. A maximum of two fish over 20 inches per vessel may be harvested.
Staff recommends extending the current recreational size and bag limits into federal waters.
Staff recommends extending the current allowable recreational gear for permit and Florida pompano within the slot limit of 11-20 inches to federal waters. In addition, staff recommends to allow spearing of permit and Florida pompano greater than 20 inches in ALL (State and Federal) waters. Permit or Florida pompano that are speared would be held to the bag limit of 1 fish over 20 inches per person per day, and a 2 fish maximum per vessel.
Currently, commercial vessels are allowed to harvest two permit or Florida pompano in any combination greater than 20 inches, but these fish cannot be sold. Staff recommends that possession of permit and Florida pompano greater than 20 inches on commercial vessels be prohibited. This change will aid enforcement of the slot size.
There is currently a commercial incidental bycatch limit of 100 Florida pompano. This bycatch limit applies to commercial vessels targeting a species other than Florida pompano with gillnets in federal waters. Staff recommends amending the bycatch limit to create a 100 Florida pompano and permit combined limit.
Currently in state waters, there is a minimum size limit for African pompano of 24 inches and a bag limit of two African pompano per person, with a maximum of two per vessel. This size and bag limit applies to both recreational and commercial harvesters. Staff recommends applying these regulations in federal waters.
Currently in state waters, the only allowable gear for African pompano is hook and line. Staff recommends applying hook and line as an allowable gear in federal waters as well. Staff also recommends allowing spearing of African pompano in ALL waters. Spearing of African pompano both recreationally and commercially is currently occurring in federal waters. Spearing will be restricted with the same 2 fish bag limit and which would be applied in both state and federal waters.