Thursday, August 16, 2012

Florida: No license, no limit for lionfish


In an effort to enhance the population reduction on the invasive lionfish, Florida has tossed out the requirement of a license to fish for the rascals.  Now you can just dive, spear, and throw them out (or eat them, if you're careful of the poisonous spines. However, there have been warnings that they carry ciguatera, so eating them is at one's own risk.   (And the FDA isn't even totally sure that ciguatera in Florida lionfish is much of a problem.)

Article  (Underwater Times)

  • A recreational fishing license is not required to target lionfish while using a pole spear, a Hawaiian sling (picture included in photo set), a handheld net or any spearing device that is specifically designed and marketed exclusively for lionfish.
  • There is no recreational or commercial harvest bag limit for lionfish. The changes do not allow spearing in areas where spearfishing is prohibited and apply to state waters only, which is from shore to 9 miles in Gulf of Mexico waters and from shore to 3 miles in Atlantic waters.

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