NOAA increases on-water presence for lobster mini-season

NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) is deploying additional boats, officers and agents to Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary during the July 24-25, 2019, spiny lobster sport season, more commonly known as the ‘mini season.’ Traditionally, more than 50,000 vessels and 80,000 recreational harvesters participate in the two-day mini season because of the abundance of spiny lobster in nearshore, protected waters.

As the primary agency enforcing the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, OLE is coordinating with federal, state and local agencies to deter and detect illegal lobster harvest and other fisheries and sanctuary violations. Officers and agents will conduct boardings from several different platforms including OLE’s new 36’ patrol vessels.

Protecting our nation’s living marine resources is a team effort, and information from the public plays a vital role. OLE may, on a case-by-case basis, issue rewards to individuals who provide information that leads to an arrest, conviction, civil penalty assessment, or forfeiture of property for violation(s) of the laws and regulations NOAA enforces. Please call the NOAA Enforcement Hotline to report violations at 1-800-853-1964. Tips may be left anonymously.

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary protects 3,800 square miles of highly diverse and economically valuable marine habitat, including North America’s only coral barrier reef, 1.4 million acres of seagrass, and 1,800 miles of mangrove shoreline supporting more than 6,000 species. It preserves an estimated 800 underwater historical sites representative of the Florida Keys’ rich maritime heritage. Designated in 1990, the sanctuary is co-managed by NOAA and the State of Florida. Sanctuary regulations are found at https://floridakeys.noaa.gov/.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and our other social media channels.

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