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So, Who Exactly Needs A License?

By FRANK SARGEANT The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 27, 2007

Exactly who needs what license, when? That's a point of confusion for many Florida anglers these days due to the assortment of hunting and fishing licenses available, as well as the special permit stamps required to chase many species like snook, lobster, tarpon and wild turkeys.

Tampa fisherman Larry Nixon is a case in point.

"I just turned 65 and can't get any consistent information on how to get a snook or lobster stamp or a tarpon permit," Nixon wrote in an e-mail to The Tampa Tribune.

"The marine patrol officer I asked and the bureaucrats down at the courthouse gave me conflicting information," Nixon said. "The question I posed was, now that I've reached the golden age of geezerdom and no longer have to buy a fishing license, does that also mean I don't need a snook, lobster or tarpon permit?"

Nixon said the responses he got were right out of "Catch-22."

"The Marine Patrol says I still need the permits to harvest these species, even though I don't need a fishing license. But the courthouse won't issue the permits unless I have a fishing license to show them," a frustrated Nixon said.

"I dive the Key West area for lobster during the Sportsman's Season, and the place is crawling with Marine Patrol then," he said. "I'm not a scofflaw and want to play by the rules - if I only knew what the rules are."

I asked Ken Haddad, executive director of the state's Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, if he would clarify the rules for all of us. Here's what he told me.

"The commission does not require anyone to buy a snook or lobster permit if they are not legally required to buy a Florida saltwater fishing license. Florida residents who are 65 years of age or older who possess either a Resident Senior Citizen Hunting and Fishing Certificate, or proof of age and residency, are not required to buy a saltwater fishing license in Florida, and they also don't need to buy a snook or lobster permit," Haddad said.

The situation would be the same for resident anglers who are underage - those who don't need a fishing license, don't need a permit.

The situation on tarpon was different, however.

"Florida law requires that anyone who takes, kills or possesses any tarpon must buy a $50 tarpon tag in advance and securely attach the tag through the lower jaw of the fish on capture," Haddad said. "Florida residents who are 65 or older must buy this tag to possess tarpon, even though they don't need a saltwater license to fish for tarpon. The tag is not required for persons who catch and release tarpon."

Haddad pointed out that a fair number of anglers 65 and older continue to buy the snook and lobster stamps voluntarily as donations to the state conservation programs these funds support, but that contribution is not required.

The Senior Citizen Certificate is available at county tax collector's offices statewide by providing proof of age and residency. There is no charge for the certificate.

NESTING SPOTS: The Fish & Wildlife Commission is teaming with the state DEP and Florida Audubon to remind boaters that the many coastal islands throughout the Tampa Bay area are prime sea bird nesting spots at this time of year. And, says David Anderson, executive director of the state Audubon Society, human intrusion can be a death sentence for many of the young birds.

"With beach-nesting birds, the parents are actually providing shade to the eggs and young during the day, not heat, so flushing them off, even for a short period, can damage an entire colony," Anderson said.

Most larger nesting areas are protected by signs and roped off zones, and commission biologists say that so long as island visitors stay well outside these zones, they can enjoy the islands without doing harm to the birds.

Keeping dogs on leashes is also critical, the biologists report. A single dog racing through a bird colony can wipe out dozens of nests.

TOURNAMENT WINNERS: Tampa anglers Paul Pizzo and Will Hanlon along with Sebring's John Haviland, fishing with legendary tarpon guide Cappy Joiner, were winners in the Boca Grande Invitational Tarpon Tournament last week. Haviland winched up the winning fish, a 139-pounder, late on the second day of the competition. Wayne Highsmith of Tampa, fishing Chassahowitzka flats with captain Kevin Weaver recently, expected trout to hit his topwater. Instead, a 33-inch snook grabbed his lure. It was the first Highsmith had ever landed, and far north of what used to be the considered the limit of snook range.