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Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission wants input on Southwest Florida snook, redfish and spotted seatrout

Red fish release
Posted at 12:13 AM, Mar 31, 2021
and last updated 2021-03-31 00:13:59-04

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — SW Florida snook, redfish and spotted seatrout: FWC wants your input

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will be holding three virtual workshops to gather public input about the short-term management of snook, redfish and spotted seatrout in southwest Florida.

Beginning in August 2018, the FWC made a series of temporary, precautionary regulation changes to help conserve snook, redfish and spotted seatrout following a prolonged red tide that occurred in late 2017 through early 2019. Ultimately, these popular inshore species were made catch-and-release only in all waters from Pasco County through Gordon Pass in Collier County through May 31, 2021.

FWC staff want to know how these fisheries are doing and your ideas for how to manage these species immediately after May 31, when the temporary catch-and-release measures expire.

These workshops will start at 6 p.m., EDT. Each webinar will be tailored to a specific area:

· Charlotte Harbor area and south - April 5.

· Sarasota Bay area - April 6.

· Tampa Bay area and north - April 8.

To participate in these workshops, connect here at the time specified: FWC.adobeconnect.com/redtide.