Section 68B-42.006 - Commercial Season, Harvest Limits(1) The regulations in this section apply in all state waters and, in absence of any regulations for the species in federal waters, apply in adjacent federal Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) waters.(2) Except as provided in Rule 68B-42.008, F.A.C., no person shall harvest, possess, or land quantities of tropical ornamental marine life species or tropical ornamental marine plants in excess of the bag limits established in Rule 68B-42.005, F.A.C., unless such person is fishing under or harvesting under a valid saltwater products license with both a marine life fishery endorsement and a restricted species endorsement issued by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.(3) Persons harvesting tropical ornamental marine life species or tropical ornamental marine plants for commercial purposes shall have a season that begins on October 1 of each year and continues through September 30 of the following year. These persons shall not harvest, possess, or land tropical ornamental marine life species in excess of the following limits:(a) A limit of 75 angelfish (Family Pomacanthidae) per person per day or 150 angelfish per vessel per day, whichever is less.(b) A limit of 50 butterflyfishes (Family Chaetodontidae) per day per unique saltwater products license number with a marine life endorsement, and a maximum possession limit of 100 aboard a vessel at any time with two of more unique saltwater license numbers with marine life endorsements aboard.(c) A limit of 75 porkfish (Anisotremus virginicus) per day per unique saltwater products license number with a marine life endorsement, and a maximum possession limit of 150 porkfish aboard a vessel at any time with two or more unique saltwater products license numbers with marine life endorsements aboard.(d) A limit of 50 Spanish hogfish (Bodianus rufus) and 50 Cuban (spotfin) hogfish (Bodianus pulchellus) per day per unique saltwater products license number with a marine life endorsement, and a maximum possession limit of 100 of either aboard a vessel at any time with two or more unique saltwater products license numbers with marine life endorsements aboard.(e) A limit of 400 dwarf seahorses (Hippocampus zosterae) per person or per vessel per day, whichever is less.(f) There shall be no limits on the harvest for commercial purposes of octocorals unless and until the season for all harvest of octocorals is closed. The quota for all persons who harvest allowable octocoral is 70, 000 colonies. When this quota is projected to be met, the season for harvest of octocorals shall close until the following October 1, upon notice given by the Executive Director of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, in the manner provided in Section 120.81(5), F.S. Each person harvesting any octocoral as authorized by this rule may also harvest substrate within 1 inch of the perimeter of the holdfast at the base of the octocoral, provided that such substrate remains attached to the octocoral.(g) A limit of zero (0) giant Caribbean or "pink-tipped" anemones (Genus Condylactis) per unique saltwater product license number bearing a unique marine life endorsement number with a maximum possession limit of zero (0) aboard a vessel at any time with two unique marine life endorsement numbers aboard.(h) A limit of one gallon of starsnails (Lithopoma americanum, Lithopoma tectum, or Astralium phoebium) per day per unique saltwater products license number with a marine life endorsement, and a maximum possession limit of 2 gallons aboard a vessel at any time with two or more unique saltwater products license numbers with marine life endorsements aboard.(i) A limit of one quart of blue-legged or tricolor hermit crabs (Clibanarius tricolor) per person or per vessel each day, whichever is less.(j) A limit of 100 single polyps in the order Corallimorpharia per day per unique saltwater products license number with a marine life endorsement, and a maximum possession limit of 200 single corallimorph polyps aboard a vessel at any time with two or more unique saltwater products license numbers with marine life endorsements aboard. These polyps must be harvested using a flexible blade, such as a putty knife, razor blade, or paint scraper with a blade no wider than 2 inches.(k) A limit of 1 gallon of polyps of the order Zoanthidea per day per unique saltwater products license number with a marine life endorsement, and a maximum possession limit of 2 gallons aboard a vessel at any time with two or more unique saltwater products license numbers with the marine life endorsement aboard. Zoanthid polyps must be harvested using a flexible blade, such as a putty knife, razor blade, or paint scraper with a blade no wider than 2 inches.(l) A limit of 400 emerald crabs (Mithraculus sculptus) per person or per vessel per day, whichever is less.(m) A limit of one quart of scarlet reef hermits (Paguristes cadenati) per day per unique saltwater products license number with a marine life endorsement, and a maximum possession limit of two quarts aboard a vessel at any time with two or more unique saltwater products license numbers with marine life endorsements aboard.(n) There is no harvest limit of ornamental sponges as defined in Rule 68B-42.001, F.A.C., however in all waters north of a line extending due west from the southernmost point of Egmont Key in the Gulf of Mexico, northward and westward these sponges can be collected with substrate within 1 inch of the perimeter of the holdfast at the base of the sponge and extending 1 inch below the holdfast of the sponge. South of this line, no substrate is allowed.(o) A limit of 200 sea cucumbers (Class Holothuroidea) per person or per vessel per day, whichever is less.Fla. Admin. Code Ann. R. 68B-42.006
Rulemaking Authority Art. IV, Sec. 9, Fla. Const. Law Implemented Art. IV, Sec. 9, Fla. Const.
New 1-1-91, Amended 7-1-92, 1-1-95, Formerly 46-42.006, Amended 6-1-99, 2-28-02, 7-1-09, 10-31-11, 11-1-12, 6-11-14.New 1-1-91, Amended 7-1-92, 1-1-95, Formerly 46-42.006, Amended 6-1-99, 2-28-02, 7-1-09, 10-31-11, 11-1-12, 6-11-14.