A week out from “mini-season,” the two day sport season that gives a chance for recreational divers to take home some fresh tail meat before the commercial fisheries cash in, Floridians and vacationers alike are excited for regular season to open.

2018 regular spiny lobster season dates are from August 6th to March 31st, and allow for licensed recreational divers to take home six lobsters per person per day. This bag limit applies to possession limit as well- on and off the water- and lobster must be brought to shore in whole condition. Seperating the tail from the body is prohibited in Florida state waters.

Harvested lobster must have a carapace larger than 3 inches, and must be measured in the water. The carapace is measure beginning at the…

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Starting tomorrow August 1st, the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach is hosting a series of Biologist Beach Walks through the beginning of September.

The Biologist Beach Walks is a program designed to give the public an insight into the Loggerhead Marinelife Center’s research department. The Marinelife center got permission from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. A permitted staff member from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation will guide guests down onto the beaches to discuss and learn more about the hatching and nesting process of sea turtles.

The walk program is $15 dollars per person and $12 dollars per person for Loggerhead Marinelife Center members. Registration is recommended to reserve your spot. Children ages 8 and older are welcome…

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One of the longest running triathlons in the state of Florida takes place right in our backyard at Carlin Park in Jupiter. Participants have been competing in the Jupiter Medical Center Loggerhead Triathlon, produced by the Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce, since 1985, putting this oceanside challenge on the southeast race circuit bucket-list for some of the top triathletes throughout the United States. Each year, more than 600 athletes participate in the Loggerhead Triathlon, with more than 150 volunteers providing support.

The event is Saturday, August 4th, 2018. Beginning at Carlin Park in Jupiter, FL at 7:00am, the race course consists of a 3/8 mile ocean swim, followed by a 13 mile bike, and finished by a flat 3.1 mile run. Awards are…

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Over 1 billion people use Google Maps daily to find the location of an unfamiliar place or estimate their arrival times throughout the day. After conquering the streets with Google Street View, Google is now creating a new resource for the boating lifestyle with Google “Waterway View”. From Jupiter to Key Largo, Google will be creating a detailed visual map covering 143 nautical miles of Intracoastal Waterway in South Florida.

Marine Industries Association of South Florida (MIASF), the same organization who owns the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, has partnered with Google for this endeaver. MIASF is the largest marine trade organization in the Southeast United States dedicated to protecting and growing marine businesses by promoting…

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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is requesting help from anglers, spearfishers, and charter captains to report information about the Atlantic red snapper fishery.

On July 23rd, 2018, NOAA Fisheries announced a final rule for Amendment 23 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region. Recreational Atlantic red snapper season will open for harvest in Atlantic federal waters (beyond 3 nautical miles from shore) on weekends only (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) on the following days:

  • August 10, 11, and 12, 2018 – The recreational season opens at 12:01 a.m., local time, on August 10, 2018, and closes at 12:01 a.m., local time, on August 13, 2018. 
  • August 17, 18, and 19, 2018 –…

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A much-needed reservoir is one step closer to construction with the Army Corps of Engineers and White House Office of Management and Budgeting approving the $1.4 billion project to limit toxic discharges from Lake Okeechobee. After decades of destruction to Florida waterways, crucial restoration plans are moving forward with the green light from congress.

Water from Lake Okeechobee, which is currently 90 percent covered in cyanobacteria according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, gets pumped east and west into the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Rivers nearly every day during the rainy season when the one trillion-gallon lake can’t hold anymore. The bacteria infested water then travels through these rivers picking up runoff from…

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Pictured: Wahoo caught by Jupiter locals Mike O'Connor and Christian Mignano

This week in Palm Beach County we’ve had some fishing reports of wahoo in the bite in the 150’-350’ range offshore Palm Beach, Juno Beach, and Jupiter. It’s a scorcher out there at a forecasted high of 90 degrees throughout the weekend with some hot spots feeling as high as 100 degrees, so don’t forget to pack plenty of water, ice, sunscreen, and I hope you have a T-top for a little shade. The heat also warms up the water, so if you’re live baiting for kings along the ledge, be sure to let your bait run deeper than normal in the column to seek cooler waters.

The bonita have been impossible to avoid lately, but if all you’re looking for is a little bit of action or to…

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Pictured: Tripletail caught by North Palm Beach angler Jessica Bright

If you’re a South Florida angler, you know that some of the best memories are made fishing with good friends and family, but how often do you switch up the species you’re after? The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has added an incentive to increase the diversity of saltwater fish targeted by anglers and reduce fishing pressure on the most commonly sought-after species with the Catch a Florida Memory Program. The program turns conservation-minded fishing into a thrilling scavenger hunt throughout Florida’s beautiful waterways, and entices anglers with prizes and bragging rights to try different fishing locations, techniques, and experiences.

There are…

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If you're looking for a marvelous example of a tangerine-colored Florida sunrise, Juno Beach Pier is one of the greats. However, you’ll be delighted to know that apart from a sight-seeing and fishing attraction, this particular pier has made positive strides in environmental conservation efforts. A long-standing icon of northern Palm Beach County, the Juno Beach Pier is an upstanding member of the Responsible Pier Initiative to make an impact on marine conservation. Since Loggerhead Marinelife Center attained management in 2014, efforts were amplified to not only protect local sea turtle populations and other marinelife, but to provide amenities such as morning beach yoga, an expanded concessions and angling retail shop, and a responsible atmosphere…

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“Mini Season”, also known as the 2018 Florida Spiny Lobster Sport Season, will take place on Wednesday, July 25 and Thursday, July 26, 2018. The mini-season gives sports fisherman first dibs at the spiny lobsters before commercial fisherman season which begins the first week of August and continues into March. Florida’s annual spiny lobster mini-season is always on the last Wednesday and Thursday in July.

Although the 2-day mini season is small, the spiny lobsters cannot be small/undersized. The size limit is strictly enforced to protect the ocean bugs. The possession and use of a measuring device is required at all times while harvesting spiny lobsters during the mini-season. Divers must abide by the following restrictions:

  • Minimum carapace…

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