Officials urge safety as lobster miniseason approaches
FORT LAUDERDALE — The two-day spiny lobster miniseason runs from 12:01 a.m. Wednesday and ends midnight Thursday and officials say crustacean aficionados who don’t play by the rules will face fines, jail time, and may even be risking their lives.
The U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are urging divers to stay safe and follow fishing regulations regarding the size and number of lobsters each person is allowed to catch.
In Monroe County and Biscayne National Park, a limit of six lobsters can be caught per person per day, and 12 per person per day for the rest of Florida.
Divers cannot harvest lobsters in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in the Keys during the two-day sport season. It is also prohibited in Everglades National Park, Dry Tortugas National Park, no-take areas in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, and in the Biscayne Bay/Card Sound Lobster Sanctuary during both the 2-day sport season and regular season.
The lobster’s body , not including its tail, must measure at least 3-inches in length and must be brought ashore whole. Spearing lobsters and catching egg-bearing lobsters is not allowed.
There will be daily patrols during the twoday mini-season that precedes the commercial spiny lobster season that runs from Aug. 6 through March 31.
Last year, the Coast Guard Station in Key West conducted over 300 safety boardings, completed over 100 spot checks, and counted over 1,200 lobsters in a two-day period.
Violating the rules can result in a maximum $500 fine and up to 60 days in jail.
For safety’s sake, the Coast Guard is advising divers to:
■ Have a medical assessment completed by a doctor before diving,
■ Plan the dive and provide a float plan to someone ashore who can report divers overdue if they do not return as planned,
■ Never dive alone and display a dive flag properly,
■ Choose dives that match one’s training, experience and fitness level,
■ Practice emergency procedures, like dropping one’s weight belt and inflating the buoyancy compensator, in a controlled environment.
There have been 20 diver deaths during the two-day lobster mini-seasons in the last ten years, according to the Divers Alert Network.