BTT encourages all Keys guides and anglers to participate in the FWC barracuda work shop on February 25 at Key Colony Beach City Hall, 600 W Ocean Dr., Key Colony Beach, FL 33051.
Photo: Capt. Steve Hancock
On Wednesday State fishery managers want to hear about barracuda numbers and commercial bully-netting at upcoming workshops in the Florida Keys.
Concern about perceived drops in the barracuda population, based on observations primarily from Keys fishing guides and divers, will be reviewed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission staff at a 6 p.m. Feb. 25 session at Key Colony Beach City Hall.
“The loudest voices [on barracuda] with most concern are in the Florida Keys,” FWC fishery analyst Melissa Reeks told agency commissioners at a November meeting in Key Largo.
The FWC board dismissed the need for a costly and time-consuming population assessment of barracuda, but agreed to hold workshops to gather opinions on possible rule changes.
Barracuda now have few catch restrictions. Guides fear that a possible surge in the commercial harvest would sharply reduce the numbers of the silver fish that provide excitement for anglers.
Lower Keys Guides Association member Will Benson told the FWC of a “dramatic decline in size and numbers of great barracuda.”
“An unregulated harvest is a recipe for over harvesting,” Benson said.
Bridget McDonald, a Key West conservation advocate, said the FWC’s catch reports show “commercial catch of barracuda in the Florida Keys has increased fivefold in three years, from 10,000 pounds in 2011 to more than 50,000 in 2013.”
In 2013, she said, “Florida Keys waters accounted for 67 percent of the state’s commercial barracuda catch.”
“Barracuda is prized as a strong fighter in sport fishing and is a valuable catch-and-release fish,” said John O’Hearn, president of the Lower Keys Guides.
“The great barracuda is a predator fish, and though it rarely attacks humans, even a small one can provide an adrenaline rush when encountered for the first time by a novice snorkeler, diver or fisherman,” McDonald said.
Fish advocates say they have heard of barracuda being purchased at wholesale for $1 per pound, for resale at significantly higher prices to Caribbean natives accustomed to eating barracuda.
“Basically no regulation now will lead to problems in the future,” said Aaron Adams of the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust. “It’s better to be proactive.”
Three workshops to discuss the status of barracuda in the Florida Keys provide the public an opportunity to share with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation staff anecdotal information about their numbers and habitat.
The workshops, open to the public:
- Feb. 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Key Colony Beach City Hall, 600 W. Ocean Drive.
- March 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. at International Game Fish Association Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum, 300 Gulf Stream Way, Dania Beach.
- March 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. in a statewide webinar and telephone conference call. For the webinar, go to https://fwc.adobeconnect.com/mfm/. For voice-only access, send an e-mail to Marine@MyFWC.com or call (850) 487-0554.
