Florida Keys Tourism Council Partners with Enforcement Agencies to Promote Responsible Lobstering
FLORIDA KEYS -- Working in partnership with federal, state and local law enforcement officials, the Florida Keys tourism council has a special website, LobsterSeason.com, to serve as a single resource for recreational spiny lobster hunters in the Florida Keys during the two-day lobster mini-season and beginning of the traditional lobster harvesting season.
KeysLobsterSeason.com features up-to-date rules and regulations for lobster hunting within the region such as daily limits and correct harvesting techniques, as well as videos with need-to-know dive and boating safety tips. It also stresses avoiding prohibited no-take zones protected within Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary boundaries.
The statewide two-day "mini-season" begins 12:01 a.m. Wednesday and ends at midnight Thursday night. Regular lobster season begins at 12:01 a.m. Aug. 6, 2023, and continues through March 31, 2024.
The communications initiative is a collaborative effort with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, municipalities and the tourism council.
Some rules are different in the Keys versus other portions of the state. Among them is a strict limit of six lobsters per harvester, per day.
“Size and bag limits really matter in the Florida Keys,” said Keys-based FWC Captain David Dipre. “Regulations are extremely important because this is a national marine sanctuary.”
Local, state and federal agencies strictly enforce lobster harvest and boating safety regulations in the Keys.
Printed brochures with all the information you need for lobster mini-season and regular lobster season can be found at Public and Winn-Dixie supermarkets in the Keys.