New regions and regulations for redfish in Florida state waters effective Sep. 1, 2022
FWC map showing Florida's 9 redfish management regions.
At its July meeting, the FWC approved new management regions and regulation changes for redfish (red drum) in state waters following the final rule hearing.
These regulation changes, which go into effect Sept. 1, 2022, will:
• Establish 9 redfish management regions.
• Prohibit captain and crew from retaining a bag limit of redfish when on a for-hire trip.
• Reduce the off-the-water transport limit from 6 to 4 fish per person.
• Reduce the vessel limit in each of the management regions to be:
4 fish - Panhandle, Big Bend and Northeast regions.
2 fish - Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Charlotte Harbor, Southwest and Southeast regions.
• Allow only catch-and-release fishing for redfish in the Indian River Lagoon region.
• Set the bag limit to 1 fish in the Panhandle, Big Bend, Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Charlotte Harbor, Southwest, Southeast and Northeast regions. This is a reduction to the bag limit in the Northeast region.
“With this new forward-thinking management approach, we’re trying to do what’s best for this fishery. This agency is committed to working proactively to conserve the redfish fishery in Florida for future generations while balancing stakeholder interests,” said FWC Commissioner Steven Hudson.
The changes to redfish management regions and regulations, as part of FWC’s new management approach, will better capture regional differences and improve angler satisfaction. The new management approach includes annual reviews of the redfish fishery and redfish regulations may be changed each year in response to the reviews.
For current recreational redfish regulations, visit
myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/red-drum. This page will be updated with the new regulations when they take effect.