FWC approves changes for snook in state waters following final rule hearing

At its October meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved new management regions and regulations for snook in state waters following the final rule hearing.

These regulations, which go into effect Jan. 1, 2024, will:

• Establish nine snook management regions.
• Establish open seasons as well as bag and slot limits for each region, which are detailed below:

Panhandle, Big Bend, Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay

Open season: March – April, September – November

Bag limit: one fish

Slot limit: 28-33 inches

Charlotte Harbor, Southwest

Open season: March – April, October – November

Bag limit: one fish

Slot limit: 28-33 inches

Southeast, Indian River Lagoon, Northeast

Open season: February – May, September – Dec. 14

Bag limit: one fish

Slot limit: 28-32 inches

As part of this new management approach, FWC staff intends to monitor and evaluate these regulations annually. To see the latest snook annual reviews, which provide a summary of the snook fishery status in each management region, visit MyFWC.com/Snook.

“Through innovative management strategies like this, which allow us to be agile in our response to concerns, we are ensuring that Florida’s future generations of anglers will have access to this iconic fishery,” said FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto.

For more information, including the October 2023 Commission meeting presentation, visit MyFWC.com/Commission and click on “Commission Meetings.”