Changes to snook fishery effective Jan. 1st
FWC map of snook regions.
New regulations for snook in state and adjacent federal waters will go into effect beginning Jan. 1, 2024. These regulation changes will:
• Establish 9 snook management regions.
• Establish closed seasons, as well as bag and slot limits for each of the 9 management regions, which are detailed below.
The new regions are part of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) holistic management approach for Florida's most popular inshore fisheries. Through this approach, 7 metrics are used to evaluate the fishery by region, adding a holistic perspective to management decisions and allowing the FWC to be more responsive to regional concerns. The seasons, bag limits and slot limits are set in response to evaluations of the snook fishery within each of the new management regions. This new management approach includes annual reviews of the fishery, and snook regulations could be changed each year in response to the reviews.
Regions, with Closed Season Dates, and Bag and Slot Limits:
• Panhandle (PH)
• Big Bend (BB)
• Tampa Bay (TB)
• Sarasota Bay (SB)
Closed season: December 1 to end of February, and May 1 to August 31.
Bag limit: 1 fish.
Slot limit: 28–33 inches.
• Charlotte Harbor (CH)
• Southwest (SW)
Closed season: December 1 to end of February, and May 1 to September 30.
Bag limit: 1 fish.
Slot limit: 28–33 inches.
• Southeast (SE)
• Indian River Lagoon (IRL)
• Northeast (NE)
Closed season: December 15 to January 31, and June 1 to August 31.
Bag limit: 1 fish.
Slot limit: 28–32 inches.
For current recreational snook regulations, along with information about the new management approach, visit MyFWC.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/snook. This page includes the snook annual reviews that provide summaries of key findings from the annual evaluation of management metrics for each region.
For additinal angler information, visit MyFWC.com/Marine.