Snook Slated to Reopen in Atlantic Feb. 1

Snook slated to reopen in Atlantic state waters Feb. 1

Snook is slated to reopen for recreational harvest on Feb. 1 in Florida's Atlantic coastal and inland waters (from the Miami-Dade/Monroe county line north), including Lake Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River.

Snook are one of the many reasons Florida is the Fishing Capital of the World. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) encourages anglers to carefully handle and release snook they are not going to keep, which helps them survive after being released and helps ensure species' abundance for anglers today and generations to come. To learn more about fish handling, visit MyFWC.com/Marine and click on “Recreational Regulations” and “Fish Handling.”

The season will remain open through May 31.

Researchers ask anglers who harvest snook to save the remaining portion of their fish after it has been filleted and provide it to the FWC by dropping it off at a participating bait and tackle store. This program allows anglers to participate in the collection of data, such as the size, age, maturity and sex, of one of Florida's premier inshore fish. For a county-by-county list of drop-off locations, go to MyFWC.com/Research and click on “Saltwater,” “Snook” under the heading “Saltwater Fish,” and “Snook Anglers Asked to Help with Research.”

For more information about snook, visit MyFWC.com/Marine and click on “Recreational Regulations” and “Snook.”