At their two-day session at Sandestin earlier this month the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) voted on new rules for Florida’s quota hunt system and changed some marine fishing regulations.

Beginning with the 2009-2010 hunting season, quota hunt permits will be nontransferable but allow a guest permit for archery, muzzleloading gun, general gun, wild hog, mobility-impaired and spring turkey hunts. In addition, Commissioners approved new regulations for various wildlife management areas (WMAs).

The Commission also approved new season dates and regulations for public hunting lands within the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes and Babcock Ranch Preserve.

Regarding marine fisheries, the Commission approved a rule that establishes a June 1 through Sept. 30 recreational red snapper harvest season in Gulf of Mexico state waters. This action is consistent with the current red snapper season in Gulf federal waters.

Commissioners also approved a new rule to reduce the number of traps used in the lobster fishery. The rule change will end a five-year moratorium on the reduction of lobster traps in Florida. However, the number of traps will be reduced only when a commercial lobster harvester decides to sell or transfer his FWC-issued trap certificates to someone outside his immediate family. The new rule will allow the harvester to sell or transfer all but 10 percent of those certificates. The new rule takes effect on July 1.

The FWC also approved rules to add new fish and invertebrate species to marine life (aquarium species) regulations and establish and change size and bag limits and gear specifications for several marine life species. The new rules also make other administrative and technical marine life rule changes. These rules take effect on July 1.

Another new rule approved by the Commission will help in efforts to identify and remove lost or abandoned blue crab traps from Florida waters. It will establish six regional closed seasons to the harvest of blue crabs (up to 10 days) with traps. That will enable authorized people and groups to clean up trap debris left in the water during the closed seasons. This rule takes effect on July 1.

In other marine fisheries action, Commissioners proposed a draft rule that would establish administrative penalties for blue crab management program violations and reviewed and discussed management of flounder and various federal fisheries management issues.

Commissioners also recognized Ed Moyer, who retired from the FWC in 2008, for his 35 years of service to the agency, and the Wildlife Foundation of Florida presented its Louise Ireland Humphrey Achievement Award to Carol Knox, the FWC’s Manatee Program administrator.

The next regular FWC meeting will be April 15-16 in Tallahassee.