Marine Life Regulations
Requirements for marine life (aquarium species) harvest:
- Recreational saltwater fishing license
- Organisms must be landed and kept alive
- A continuously circulating live well, aeration or oxygenation system of adequate size to maintain these organisms in a healthy condition
- Allowable Gear: hand-held net, drop net, rod, barrier net, slurp gun (use of quinaldine is prohibited)*
- Bag Limit: 20 organisms per person per day; only 5 of any one species allowed within the 20-organism bag limit
- Possession Limit: 2-day possession limit, 40 total organisms, no more than 10 of any one species allowed
- Allowable substrate: see species specifications in table
- Closed areas: Some closed areas exist**
- Sale of recreationally caught marine life organisms is prohibited
- Regulations also apply in federal waters
* Some organisms have additional gear limitations, see chart.
** Various closed areas exist. See regulations for Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Everglades National Park, Biscayne National Park and Florida’s State Parks before collecting in these areas.
Additional rules apply to the collection of shells containing live organisms in Lee or Manatee counties.
Marine Life — Fish |
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Angelfish |
No more than 5 per person per day in any combination |
Gray, French Angelfish: 1½–8" slot limit Blue, Queen Angelfish: 1¾–8" slot limit Rock Beauty: 2–5" slot limit |
Butterflyfish |
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1–4" slot limit |
Filefish/Triggerfish |
Except Unicorn Filefish, |
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Gobies |
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Maximum size limit: 2" |
Hamlets/Seabasses |
Except reef fish2 and Longtail Bass |
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Jawfish |
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Maximum size limit: 4" |
Parrotfish |
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Maximum size limit: 12" |
Porkfish |
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Minimum size limit: 1½" |
Pufferfish, |
Includes Sharpnose Pufferfish, Striped Burrfish, Spotted Burrfish, Balloonfish, Porcupinefish |
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Tangs and Surgeonfish |
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Maximum size limit (fork length): 9" |
Wrasse/Hogfish/Razorfish |
Except Hogfish Snapper |
Spanish Hogfish: 2–8" slot limit Cuban Hogfish: 3–8" slot limit |
Other Marine Life fish include1: Basslets, Batfish, Blackbar Soldierfish, Blennies, Brotulas (Black and Key), Cardinalfish, Clingfish, Cornetfish, Damselfish, Eels (Moray and Snake), Frogfish, Hawkfish, High-hat/Jackknife-fish/Spotted Drum/Cubbyu, Pipefish, Reef Croakers, Seahorses, Sleepers, Yellow Stingray, Sweepers, Toadfish, Trumpetfish and Trunkfish/Cowfish. |
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Marine Life — Invertebrates |
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Anemones |
Corallimorphs and Zoanthids: No more than 5 polyps of each may be landed per person per day, must be harvested with a flexible blade no wider than 2". Corallimorphs must be harvested as single polyps only. Zero bag limit on Giant Anemone (Condylactis gigantea). |
Conch, Queen |
Harvest prohibited |
Corals: Hard ,stony, fire & black |
Harvest prohibited |
Octocorals |
No more than 6 octocoral colonies per person per day in any combination; harvest of attached substrate within 1" of base is permitted; harvest closes when quota met. |
Crab, Hermit |
Except Land Hermit Crabs |
Crab, Horseshoe |
Harvest prohibited |
Live Rock |
Harvest prohibited |
Octopods3 |
Except Common Octopus |
Sea Fans |
Harvest of Venus Sea Fan and Common (Purple) Sea Fan prohibited |
Siphonophores/Hydroids |
Harvest of Fire Coral prohibited |
Sponges |
Except Sheepswool, Yellow, Grass, Glove, Finger, Wire, Reef and Velvet Sponges; no more than 5 sponges per harvester per day in any combination; harvest of substrate within 1" of base permitted north and west of the southernmost point of Egmont Key, no substrate allowed south of Egmont Key |
Starfish3 |
Harvest of Bahama Starfish (Cushion Sea Star) prohibited |
Urchins3 |
Except Sand Dollars & Sea Biscuits; harvest of Longspine Urchin prohibited |
Other Marine Life invertebrates include1: Brittlestars3, Decorator (Furcate Spider) Crab, False Arrow Crab, Green Clinging (Emerald) Crab, Nimble Spray (Urchin) Crab, Red Mithrax Crab, Red-Ridged Clinging Crab, Spotted Porcelain Crab, Yellowline Arrow Crab, Fileclams3, Upside-down Jellyfish, Nudibranchs/Sea Slugs3, Sea Cucumbers3, Sea Lilies, Cleaner/Peppermint Shrimp, Coral Shrimp, Snapping Shrimp, Nassarius Snails3, Starsnails3, Featherduster Worms and Calcareous Tube Worms. |
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Marine Life — Plants |
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Algae, Coralline Red |
One gallon of tropical ornamental marine plants per day in any |
Caulerpa |
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Halimeda/Mermaid's Fan/ |
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1–Unless otherwise noted, combined bag limit of 20 marine life fish and invertebrates per person per day, only 5 of any one species allowed. A 2-day possession limit also applies (40 total organisms, only 10 of any one species).
2–Such as groupers, snappers, seabass and amberjacks. Must abide by regulations for these species.
3–Bag limit of 2 live shell fish of any single species per harvester per day in Manatee County. Harvest prohibited in Lee County.
