Local News

Stay Safe & Legal During Lobster Mini-Season

2-day mini-season starts 12:01 a.m. Wednesday July 30th

It ends 11:59 p.m. Thursday July 31st

Click here For More Info From FWC

MIAMI (CBS4 News) ― Grab your tickle sticks then get the drawn butter and those lobster bibs ready.

Florida's two-day lobster mini-season, dubbed Florida's undeclared midsummer state holiday, runs from 12:01 a.m. Wednesday July 30th to midnight Thursday July 31st. The regular season is Aug. 6-March 31.

The lobster mini-season brings with it a significant increase in the number of boaters and divers along South Florida's coastal waters and this increase in boating activity will continue to lead to more accidents if boaters and divers forget to practice safety first.

So here are some safety tips to remember before and during a dive:

• Never dive by yourself!
• File a floatplan with a family member or friend.
• Mark the area you are diving with a dive flag. This is a requirement.
• Check your dive equipment.
• Know procedures for medical treatment like CPR

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In addition to safety tips, you should also know the rules about the 48-hour mini-season. Fast Facts: Lobster Mini-Season Rules.

*You must have a recreational saltwater fishing license and a crawfish stamp to take lobsters.

*The mini-season bag limit is six lobsters per person per day in Monroe County and Biscayne National Park and, 12 per person in the rest of the state.

The lobsters must be legal and we're not talking 18 years or over.

*Spiny lobster must have a minimum carapace length of more than 3 inches and must be measured in the water.

Click Here to learn 'How to Measure Spiny Lobster'

*Possession and use of a measuring device is required at all times.

*Lobsters must remain in whole condition while in or on the water.

*No egg-bearing females may be taken.

*Night diving is prohibited in Monroe County during the 48-hour mini-season.

Click Here for more Monroe County Rules & Regulations.

Most lobster violations are second-degree misdemeanors, which are punishable by up to a $500 fine and/or up to 60 days in jail.

Scores of federal, state and local marine law-enforcement officers will be patrolling waterways, marinas and boat ramps. Their job is to keep people safe and to prevent the much-sought-after animals and their habitat from being trashed.

Click here for more information from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Website.

To report lobster violations, call Wildlife Alert at 888-404-3922.

(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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