Lobster Mini Season 2012 Report
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| Boats & shore divers along the inshore reefs at dawn at Pompano Beach |
The team at Florida Go Fishing attended Mini Season in Broward County. We didn't catch our limit but had a lot of fun trying. One thing we learned after giving it a good try, it's a lot harder to catch Lobsters than it looks in videos especially free diving.
Overall the 2012 Mini Lobster Season in Florida was a success with no reported deaths for the 1st time since 2004 and only a handful of minor boat accidents.
Broward County
Opening day brought hundreds of boats flocked to the nearshore natural reef lines along the Broward County shoreline. Many Bug Hunters dove in from shore, the rest hopped aboard a charter or went out on private boats. Dive flags darted the coastal waterways high above boats and trailed behind snorkelers and divers. The weather was perfect with calm seas and a light breeze.
We boarded a dive boat at Hillsboro Inlet and went Bug Hunting at The Nursery then at the historical shipwreck SS Copenhagen, both across from Pompano Beach. Many Lobsters were snatched but nobody made their limit, most likely due to the fact that these popular tour boat sites were already searched on earlier tours. We didn't mind, the sites were fun to visit and many Nurse Sharks came within feet of us along with schools of fish, large and small. On our boat ride we floated past elegant waterfront mansions, extravagant yachts and lush landscapes. All in all it is a wonderful area to visit both on and off the water.
During our trip to Broward County we visited a lot of places including beaches, fishing piers, the IGFA Museum, and we took a fishing trip out of Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades where we met a Shortfin Mako Shark. Check out our Photo Albums on Facebook/FloridaGoFishing.
BugFest-By-The-Sea
We attended the BugFest-By-The-Sea Master Lobster Chef Competition on the second day of Lobster Mini Season and sampled the Lobster dishes. The winner was a Lobster Pizza that had chunks of Spiny Lobster meat in a cream sauce which was great.
The winner of the Biggest Lobster grabbed himself a 9 1/2 Spiny Lobster and we all had fun holding this magnificent creature. The winner scored $500 Cash & Atomic Z2 Regulator for this huge Spiny Lobster.
Monroe County
Monroe County receives the brunt of the influx of Lobster harvesters - there's more Lobsters in Monroe County than anywhere else in the state. Bug Hunters make reservations long in advance to ensure their chance of catching their limits. We wish we did the same! FWC law enforcement from other counties are brought in to help control the madness and keep everyone safe. Four pilots from other regions were assigned to Monroe County to assist with aerial patrols, 10 officers came from Collier County, and the Coast Guard helped out. FWC also setup a Lobster Information Booth prior to the open of Mini Season in Key Largo to provide information on Lobster sport season, regular season, and other issues within the sanctuary.
Busted!
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| Photo courtesy of the US Coast Guard |
Law enforcement did make many arrests during the 2012 Lobster Mini Season. Most Bug Hunters know the rules and follow them. A select few think they can get away with poaching Lobsters, breaking the laws intentionally, not bothering to learn the rules or foolishly think they will never get caught. As most of us who frequent the waterways in Florida know, FWC and county marine patrol are VERY actively patrolling our waterways and if your out often you've been boarded frequently.
One boater reported being boarded 4 times during 2012 Mini Lobster Season off Ft. Lauderdale.
Marine patrol is a necessary evil, if law enforcement does not actively monitor our waterways, poaching would be rampant. We would like to thank these dedicated public servants for keeping our waterways safe and full of fish!
In years past we have heard dozens of arrests for poaching and illegal harvesting of Lobsters during Mini Season. This year, we found fewer violations than prior years. We hope this reduction in violations is the result of resources that educate Bug Hunters like our Lobstering page that spells out the rules clearly.
Marathon - One week before Mini Season a 54 year old Marathon man was charged with possession of speared spiny lobster, possession of wrung tails in the water, possession of spiny lobster in closed season and resisting an officer, all misdemeanors.
Monroe County - "Operation Bug Repel" was conducted by FWC officers prior to the two-day sport lobster season that resulted in education and warnings. During dusk patrols, they encountered numerous divers and snorkelers scouting for lobster spots, and most areas contained artificial habitats. The officers removed the habitats and educated the Bug Spotters.
Card Sound Lobster Sanctuary - Three FWC officers conducted a surveillance from shore on 2 people snorkeling along Steamboat Creek, resulting in 2 physical arrests and 20 misdemeanor citations issued. The 2 snorkelers were observed as they worked along a mangrove shoreline in an area that officers could not approach without alerting them of their presence. The officers waited until the subjects exited the water and one of the subjects crawled through the mangroves and concealed a bag inside his vehicle. The officers approached the subjects and a resource inspection revealed violations that included interference, spearfishing in the Upper Keys, Lobstering in Card Sound Lobster Sanctuary, spearing Lobster, possession of Lobster undersized and out of season, failure to possess a measuring device, possession of undersize Grouper and undersize Sheepshead, and speared Sheepshead. Three more officers joined the party at this point. Both subjects were booked into Plantation Key Jail with 12 misdemeanor charges on each subject.
Monroe County - Two officers conducted a fisheries inspection on a diver in Kemp Channel that resulted in 6 misdemeanor citations for spearing Lobster and possession of wrung Lobster tails and Lobster out of season, as well as possession of undersized grouper and Mangrove Snapper. The officers had observed one man in a vessel and the two divers in the water without a diver down flag displayed, which prompted the vessel stop. Both divers also received citations for failing to display a diver down flag.
Marathon - A 47 year old man of Hialeah was busted with 21 wrung tails and 15 lobster tails over the limit on Long Key Bridge Day 1. The tails, which were wringing in the water, were donated to the Turtle Hospital in Marathon.
Duck Key - A 35 year old man from Miami was arrested on Day 1 and charged with violating saltwater regulations and interfering with an officer. The 
man was caught with three speared lobsters after being chased by a Deputy who reported the man dropped his spear gun and several Lobster tails then tried to swim.
Knights Key - A 37 year old man of Ormond Beach was charged with possessing 2 undersized lobsters and 2 queen conch at Knights Key Campground Day 1. Officers said the man, who said he did not know it is illegal to catch conch, was measuring the lobster improperly.
Ponce Inlet - Officers of National Marine Fisheries and FWC worked together targeting violations during the two-day sport lobster season. At approximately 1p.m. 25 miles offshore of Ponce Inlet, the officers observed a large center console vessel conducting dive operations in approximately 85 feet of water. The officers conducted surveillance on the vessel waiting for the divers to surface. One diver finally surfaced and loaded a large black sack aboard the subject vessel. The officers approached the vessel and before coming alongside, identified themselves as FWC law enforcement. The diver dumped the large black sack overboard the opposite side of their vessel. An FWC officer quickly stripped off his law enforcement gear and dove in after it, recovering it before it sank all the way to the bottom. The sack contained 6 lobsters, 2 of which were egg-bearing, and a five-pound lead weight. Inspection of the vessel revealed 33 additional lobster, another egg-bearing lobster, and a bucket that contained a scrub brush and 6 eggs that had been scrubbed from the other lobsters. Federal charges were filed for the violations.
