Know Your Limit
With miniseason right around the corner its important to know exactly how many lobsters you are allowed to legally possess. The laws actual vary in different areas of Florida ,so first off you need to know where you are fishing. You are on your own on that one.
Most of Florida allows each diver to catch12 lobsters per day of miniseason. Meaning, you are allowed to be in possession of 12 lobsters on the first day and 24 on the second day. You are NOT allowed to be in possession of 24 on the first day. Nice try though!
You must also be aware that while you are on the water you are only allowed to be in possession of the daily limit. This means that if you don't catch your limit the first day you are not allowed to go out the second day and have more than your allowed 12 lobsters on the boat.
However there are exceptions to the 12 lobster rule and that is in Monroe County and Biscayne National Park. In these two lobster havens each person is only allowed to possess 6 lobsters per day.
It can be easy to lose count of your catch if you have a lot of people on board so make sure you have a system in place and if you aren't sure, always recount. The FWC will be out in full force and the last thing you want is a big fine to ruin your bug killin' vacation.
It is always worth reiterating that in addition to making sure you aren't over you limit always make sure that the lobsters you do have on board are of legal size. It can be useful to designate one person to keep watch over the count and measure the bugs; perhaps someone who is not the best diver on the boat. I also recommend having an official gauge to measure with. Plastic is my preferred material for an official gauge.
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