Follow up on legality of boating a tarpon...

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Posted by Honolulu Gator on 2008-09-04 11:42:48

A post was made that it is now illegal to boat a tarpon in Florida for the purpose of taking a photo (unless you have a tarpon tag affixed), and I argued that the law hadn't actually changed and that it would be pretty hard for the ticket to stand up in court.

For clarification, I have been doing a little e-mailing back and forth with the FWC is this is the last response I got.

"Rules pertaining to Tarpon do not in fact explicitly prohibit anglers from bringing these species into the boat. Unless the angler has obtained a tarpon tag and intends to the keep the fish, there is no reason to bring the fish into the boat. However, if it is safer for the fish and the angler to bring the fish into the boat in order to remove the hook, the rules do not prohibit that activity. We understand and appreciate that anglers like to photograph their catch and FWC rules do not prohibit that activity. But this must be done is such as a way to allow the fish to be released immediately and unharmed back into the water. When abiding by these rules, common sense must be applied and law enforcement officers are trained to use their best judgment in enforcing these regulations. If there is a question on whether or not to boat a fish, it is generally best to leave the fish in the water and remove the hook if possible. The Division of Law Enforcement has put out a statement on this topic that pertains to tarpon. http://myfwc.com/docs/2007_Goliath_Grouper_Conservation_2.pdf"

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