MINISEASON

officers or marine patrol deputies conducting resource and boat safety checks.

“Anyone caught with illegal lobster will be charged accordingly. Deputies will be looking for safety and wildlife violations,” Ramsay said.

Also on the law enforcement front, the sheriff’s office is cautioning local boaters and visitors bringing their vessels to the Keys to secure their belongings.

“Thieves may see miniseason as an opportunity,” Ramsay said. “Remove electronics, fishing, and diving gear from your boat and store valuable equipment somewhere secure.”

WHAT ARE THE RULES OF LOBSTER MINISEASON?

The bag limit for lobsters in the Florida Keys is six per person, per boat. The same limit applies to lobstering within Biscayne

ANational Park in MiamiDade County. For the rest of Miami-Dade and the rest of the state, the bag limit is 12 lobsters per person, per boat.

Lobster hunters statewide need to have with them a Florida saltwater fishing license with a current lobster permit. Throughout the state, anglers must carry with them a gauge to measure the lobsters. They must be measured in the water if they are harvested while diving or snorkeling. The carapace, which is the body and head of the lobster — basically the part that is not the tail — must be greater than 3 inches long.

Tails must measure more than 5 1/2 inches long. Lobsters must be brought to shore whole. Only once on shore can the tail and carapace be separated.

All undersized lobsters must be returned alive

AAAand unharmed to the water.

No egg-bearing female lobsters can be harvested. You cannot spear or use any other tool that can pierce or break the lobster’s shell anywhere in Florida.

In the Florida Keys and adjacent federal waters, there is no diving or snorkeling at night. People can still use a bully net to catch lobsters one hour after official sunset until one hour before official sunrise. Bully netting is using a basket net at the end of a pole and a light to spot and catch lobster at night from a boat.

Recreational trapping is prohibited. All divers and snorkelers must display a diver down flag.

AAAWHAT AREAS ARE OFF-LIMITS DURING LOBSTER MINISEASON?

The Biscayne Bay and Card Sound Spiny Lobster sanctuaries; anywhere within the city limits of Layton, a small incorporated municipality less than a mile in size near the Middle Keys; Dry

ATortugas National Park; Everglades National Park.

The 18 Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Special Preservation Areas. They are marked off by yellow buoys.

The four Special-Use Research-Only Areas of Conch Reef, Tennessee Reef, Looe Key Patch Reef and Eastern Sambo The two Ecological Reserves of Western Sambo and the Tortugas John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo.

AAARE THERE SPECIAL LOBSTERING RULES IN THE FLORIDA KEYS?

In Monroe County and in the municipalities of Marathon, Key Colony Beach, Islamorada, Layton and Key West, there is no diving or snorkeling within 300 feet of a residential shoreline, in any manmade or private canal or in any public or private marina.

CAN YOU HAVE A COLD ONE WHILE HUNTING FOR LOBSTER?

While it’s legal to drink alcohol on a boat, it is illegal to operate a vessel under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The FWC recommends that people planning to have booze on their boat designate a designated driver who will not drink.

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU BREAK THE LOBSTER RULES?

Breaking rules is not a good idea, especially in Monroe County where the State Attorney’s Office is known to seek jail time for people who do so, and judges often oblige. The possible penalty for each undersized lobster is 60 days in jail, a $500 fine, or both, according to the Monroe County State Attorney’s Office.

Violating some of the rules, like harvesting eggbearing females or using a spear gun to hunt lobsters, puts you at risk for the same penalties.

MORE INFORMATION ON LOBSTER MINISEASON

The Monroe Tourist Development Council started a public awareness campaign ahead of miniseason, which includes a website people can visit for rules and regulations, boating and diving safety tips and recommendations on harvesting lobsters while being aware of the sensitive Florida Keys marine environment.

Also, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will have an informational booth at

Key Largo’s Waldorf Plaza, mile marker 100 on the ocean side of U.S. 1, in front of Divers Direct. FWC officers and other staff will demonstrate how to properly measure lobsters and provide the latest rules and regulations. The booth is scheduled to operate between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. through Tuesday.

For more information about the rules or about how to obtain a saltwater fishing license, go to myfwc.com.