Marine Life Regulations
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 |
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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 |
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Marine Life — Invertebrates |
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Anemones |
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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 |
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/ |