by Ross Burnaman

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC) may change the rules for two excellent fighters -- bonefish and permit. Options under discussion include catch and release only for both species, but other options are under consideration such as sale of "tags" to allow harvest.

FWCC scheduled a series of public workshops in late September and early October primarily in South Florida, where these species are most often caught. Expect changes to be considered by the FWCC for formal rulemaking action at the December 9th and 10th meeting in Clewiston.

I have always released the bonefish I've caught, but it was "catch and filet" for the permit. Permit is among the tastiest meat in the ocean, and I'm not aware of any research that suggests permit stock is in trouble in Florida.

BONEFISH

Two species of bonefish inhabit Florida waters. The most common is the bonefish (Albula vulpes), but the bigeye bonefish (Albula Garcia) live in Florida waters when they are young, apparently migrating out of Florida as adults. The bigeye bonefish is not currently regulated in FWCC's bonefish rule chapter (68B-34, Florida Administrative Code).

No commercial harvest of bonefish is allowed and strict recreational rules already exist. The present bag limit is one (1) per person per day, and the possession limit is one (1) per person at any time or place, with a limited exception for taxidermists. The minimum size is currently 18 inches total length. Bonefish may be taken by hook and line only, which means no nets and no spears or gaffs. Strangely, it is legal to snag or snatch hook bonefish. There is no closed season. 

Since bonefish make poor table fare, an excellent argument can be made for a catch and release only fishery. Another option under discussion by FWCC staff is to sell bonefish tags, similar to tarpon tags, where the angler could buy a tag in advance. That way, an angler lucky enough to catch a trophy fish could harvest the fish, attach the tag, and take it to certified scales. The Florida record bonefish was caught in Islamorada (Florida Keys) on March 19, 2007 and weighed 16 pounds, 3 ounces.

PERMIT

Like its cousins the pompano and African pompano, the permit is a hard-fighting member of the Carangidae family. All have excellent food value and none are subject to any specific mercury health advisories.

Unlike the bonefish, the permit (Trachinotus falcatus) is classified by FWCC as a "restricted species" and FWCC allows recreational and commercial harvest (with an SPL restricted species endorsement). FWCC may consider banning the commercial harvest in December.

FWCC does not have seasonal or regional restrictions on recreational take of permit, but one option under consideration is protection of seasonal spawning aggregations in Southwest Florida, primarily in federal waters. Since there are no federal regulations specific to permit, FWCC could adopt state rules that would apply in federal waters. 

Currently FWCC rules provide for a slot size of eleven (11) inches to twenty (20) inches fork length, but each angler may harvest one (1) oversized permit or pompano per day. In addition, there is a limit of two (2) oversize fish per vessel (permit and pompano combined) regardless of the number of anglers on board. The current recreational bag limit is six (6) fish per day aggregated with pompano. Permit may only be taken with hook and line, but unlike bonefish, snagging or snatch hooking permit is prohibited.

Unfortunately, FWCC does not have sufficient information to prepare a stock assessment for permit and FWCC staff suggests that obtaining such data is not cost effective or feasible. FWCC staff reports that commercial landings (which account for one-fourth of total harvest) have been stable in recent years.

Given this dearth of data, it would be strange to see FWCC go from allowing commercial harvest of the species to banning both commercial and recreational harvest of an excellent food fish.

A more likely outcome is for FWCC to institute a tag-purchase system, as discussed above for tarpon and bonefish, in addition to extending state regulations into federal waters.

CONCLUSION

Bonefish and permit, along with tarpon, complete the South Florida "grand slam." All are prized by shallow water anglers and fly fishers, especially in the Florida Keys.

Regulatory attention to bonefish is overdue, and a catch and release-only policy makes good sense for a species that has no commercial harvest and has poor food value.   

Drastic restrictions on taking permit, on the other hand, present more difficult questions. When they are young, permit and pompano are difficult to distinguish. Both are excellent food fish and no good scientific data supports drastic limitations on recreational harvest of either species.

Another rulemaking alternative is for FWCC to consider licensing "catch, hold and release" tournaments for bonefish and permit, as it did in 2004 for red drum (redfish) in Rule 68B-22.007, Florida Administrative Code. That rule has specific requirements for vessel live wells, for reporting of tournament results, but no charge is imposed for such licenses.

Finally, the extension of state fishing regulations into federal waters (beyond three nautical miles on the Atlantic coastline, and nine nautical miles along the Gulf of Mexico coastline) may follow for other species that are presently not specifically regulated by the federal government. Look for more about the outcome of FWCC's rulemaking in GAFF.

PHOTO CAPTION:

Conservationist Charles Causey released this small permit caught on fly near Marathon, Florida.