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| Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) |
Hello, everyone! My name is Deanna DeLong, and my independent research project is focusing on the current size and bag limit regulations for red drum. The current law states to harvest red drum in the state of Florida they have to be between 18 and 27 inches in length, anything above or below these measurements is illegal to harvest. Flagler county has a limit of two per person, per day. While Volusia county has a limit of one per person, per day or statewide the limit is eight per vessel. Red drum are a very active species and are one of the most popular sport fish species in the state. These fish remain in inshore water ways for approximately the first four years of their lives (reaching legal size within this time) and after they often move offshore but return for breeding. Red drum are also known to taste pretty good.
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Map of red drum harvesting limits (green
and blue areas- 2 per person, per day.
orange/yellow area- one per person, per day.) |
My scientific question is: how appropriate are the current regulations for harvesting red drum in Flagler county? For example, if majority of the fish I catch fall within the legal size limit I would assume that these fish are doing really well and perhaps the bag limit could be increased. Or maybe that if majority of the fish are above or below the limit I would believe red drum are being over harvested and that the laws would need to be more strict or even impose a closed season (where harvesting red drum would be illegal- regardless of size- for a set period of time to allow the population to increase). However, I am considering fishing both Flagler and Volusia county- just so I can fish more areas and better my chances of getting more fish.
My materials are not set in stone due to the fact that fishing is very unpredictable, and you have to be flexible with your materials. But my materials do include:
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Red drum tailing- this is very common for
red drum. |
-fishing license
-kayak
-rod and reel
-live bait hook
-live shrimp
-popping cork (bobber)
-standard ruler/tape measure
My method is very simple: catch, measure the length, and release.
Update: This morning (March 26) me and my step dad took the kayak out in Volusia county, where the Tomoka Basin and Halifax River meet, attempting to catch red drum. We seen a LOT of red drum tailing and chasing mullet, but had no luck actually getting them to bite. After fishing for about three hours the only thing I caught was a gray channel cat which was fifteen inches in total length, my step dad caught nothing. Better luck next time.
Joseph sec. 1: are there any special times of day or bait types that would help you catch red drum? I also wonder about locations like near shore vs open water. i have another question but dr. woodall said we are only allowed to ask one at a time to get bonus points so i'll post my next question after this one. thanks!
ReplyDeletejoseph sec. 1: ok here's my next question. speaking of bait and the fact that you are betting on the fish size to tell you how they relate to regulations. does the size/type of the bait influence the size fish you would catch? i mean if you use a smaller bait (small shrimp maybe) you are more likely to catch a smaller fish and with a larger bait or type of bait (cut mullet if that is even used) you would more likely catch a larger red drum? i'm just wondering how you are going to account for this. thanks for your answer. maybe it will help me to know how to catch the big ones! (haha)
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