The previous red-tide epidemic that blossomed around Florida’s coasts influenced the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s decision to extend its catch-and-release program until May 2020, according to the FWC.
FWC met Wednesday in Tallahassee and extended several fisheries management conservation measures for red drum, snook and spotted seatrout in areas of southwest Florida impacted by a prolonged red tide.
The decision was made to ensure the recovery of the affected types of fish.
Starting May 11, snook, spotted seatrout and red drum will remain on the catch-and-release list until May 31, 2020.
The algae blossom was responsible for the deaths of thousands of marine organisms from November 2017 through mid-February 2019.
While much of Florida’s waters were affected, the west coast, in particular, was plagued by extreme algae blooms, which resulted in dead fish lining beaches.
Currently Florida is free of red-tide blooms, according to FWC sampling data.
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