Season opens for Gulf Red Snapper

The recreational harvest of red snapper opened Tuesday, Oct. 1 in state and federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. State waters are considered from shore to nine nautical miles in the Gulf.

The state season will remain open until Oct. 21, closing on Oct. 22. Federal waters are considered nine to 200 nautical miles. The federal season will remain open through Oct. 14, closing on Oct. 15.

Anglers can catch a minimum size of 16 inches and the daily bag limit is two per harvest per day. There is a zero daily bag and possession limit for captain and crew on for-hire vessels.

Anglers are required to use circle hooks and dehooking devices when fishing off any reef for species including red snapper in state and federal waters.

The requirement for using venting tools in federal waters was removed Sept. 3. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will consider adopting similar rules at future meetings.

These rules are in place to help conserve fishery resources by increasing chances of a fish’s survival after being caught and released.