The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has announced the seasonal closure for recreational snook harvest in various regions across the state. The closure will begin on December 1 for all west coast snook management regions, which include the Panhandle, Big Bend, Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Charlotte Harbor, and Southwest areas. On the east coast, the closure will start on December 15 and affects the Southeast, Indian River Lagoon, and Northeast management regions. These regulations apply to all state and inland waters within each region as well as adjacent federal waters.
The FWC manages snook fisheries using a regional approach that evaluates seven different metrics to assess fishery health by area. This method is designed to address local concerns more effectively. Further information about this approach and annual reviews of management metrics can be found at MyFWC.com/Snook.
Specific open and closed seasons are established for each region:
– In the Panhandle, Big Bend, Tampa Bay, and Sarasota Bay regions, open season runs from March 1 to April 30 and September 1 to November 30. The closed season is from December 1 through the end of February and May 1 through August 31.
– Charlotte Harbor and Southwest have open seasons from March 1 to April 30 and October 1 to November 30; their closed season extends from December 1 through February’s end and May 1 through September 30.
– On the east coast—covering Southeast, Indian River Lagoon, and Northeast—the open season lasts from February 1 to May 31 and September 1 to December 14. Closed season is from December 15 to January 31 as well as June through August.
Across all regions, anglers are limited to harvesting one snook per person per day. Slot limits also apply: in most west coast regions it is between 28–33 inches total length; on the east coast it is set at a range of 28–32 inches.
These closures are part of ongoing efforts by FWC to maintain healthy populations of one of Florida’s most popular inshore fish species.
