February 25, 2010
Contact: Lee Schlesinger, 850-487-0554

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reminds anglers that the harvest season for snook in Gulf of Mexico, Everglades National Park and Monroe County waters, which usually begins on March 1, will not be open this year.  The FWC issued an executive order on Jan. 15 that temporarily extends closed harvest seasons for snook statewide until Sept. 1 to protect snook populations affected by recent prolonged cold weather in Florida.

The order, which took effect on Jan. 16, provides that no person may harvest or possess snook in all state and federal waters off Florida until September.  Anglers may still catch and release snook during the closure, and the FWC encourages everyone to handle and release these fish carefully to help ensure their survival upon release.

More information regarding the FWC's executive order for snook is available online at MyFWC.com/Rules, click on "Fishing – Saltwater."

Source: http://myfwc.com/NEWSROOM/10/statewide/News_10_X_SnookStillClosed2.htm