Monroe County Sheriff’s Office 2023 lobster mini-season wrap up

  • Wednesday: There were no major incidents reported directly related to mini-season.
  • Thursday: Five men hunting lobsters were rescued after their center console boat sank near the Old Seven Mile Bridge at Mile Marker 46. Sheriff Rick Ramsay was driving on U.S. 1 and relayed the situation to 911 Communications Specialists. Marine Deputy Willie Guerra responded quickly and brought the men ashore to Marathon. There were no serious injuries reported. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded as well and is investigating the cause of the vessel sinking. The U.S. Coast Guard also responded to the incident.

Overall, the 2023 lobster mini-season was typical — though a bit slower in some areas perhaps due to weather — for the Sheriff’s Office. Most people were in compliance and the number of vessel stops, notice-to-appear in court citations, and arrest figures were normal/average compared to recent years.

The following are the combined numbers for Wednesday and Thursday from all four Sheriff’s Office Districts from Key Largo to Key West. These numbers do not include data from our law enforcement partners such as the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Florida Highway Patrol, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Coast Guard:

  • Approximately 541 vessel stops/resource/safety inspections
  • No physical arrests
  • Two mandatory notice to appear in court citations for wildlife violations — for possession of undersized lobster and a stone crab out-of-season.

Those figures do not include less serious violations/citations/warnings issued on the water, as well as land for both days.

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