KEY LARGO, FLORIDA KEYS – Headed out to hunt for tasty crustaceans during this year’s Florida Keys Mini Lobster Season? The annual two-day event begins at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday and continues to midnight Thursday, providing visitors and locals alike with a recreational jumpstart to the lobster harvesting season that begins August 6.
Monroe County officials want boaters and divers to have fun, stay safe, and support sustainable behaviors while on and in the water. They coordinated with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and their collaborating Research Institute (FWRI) to capture what you should know before you go.
Register for a Florida Saltwater Fishing & Lobster Permit License. Every recreational harvester must have one. Visit gooutdoorsflorida.com, the FWC Fish/Hunt app, or a Monroe County tax office to get one.
Fly a diver-down flag at your vessel’s highest point while harvesting and keep divers nearby – within 100 feet in navigational channels and 300 feet in open water. When underway, store the flag and stay alert for dive flags on other vessels and travel at idle speed, looking out for diver activity like bubbles or ripples on the water’s surface.
Know the local harvest limits and restrictions. In Monroe County, “take” limits are six lobsters daily per harvester. Before you call it a keeper, measure as you catch to ensure the hard-shelled carapace is over three inches long before you take it out of the water. Multi-trips, taking egg-laden females, harvesting at night, diving, and wringing tails / tossing carcasses are strictly prohibited.
Coral, seagrass, sponges, and historic underwater artifacts are both fragile and protected habitats for lobster and many other marine species. Please do your part to support them and future lobster populations by avoiding contact and disturbances.
KeysLobsterSeason.com is a dedicated website that includes interactive videos with need-to-know dive and boating safety tips, correct harvesting techniques, and updated rules and regulations. It also stresses prohibited no-take zones protected within Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary boundaries.