As used in Chapter 68B-31, F.A.C.:
(1) "Approved turtle excluder device" or
"TED" means any device meeting the requirements established by NOAA Fisheries
pursuant to 50 C.F.R. §
223.207, as of May 1, 2024.
(2) "Bar measurement" means the mesh size of
a net as measured by the distance from the center of a knot to the center of an
adjacent knot.
(3) "Big Bend
Region" means all Florida Waters of Jefferson, Taylor, Dixie, Levy, Citrus,
Hernando, and Pasco counties, and all Florida Waters of Wakulla County east of
the following described line:
Beginning at the St. Marks Lighthouse (30°04.429'N,
84°10.779'W), proceed southerly on a straight line to St. Marks River
Lighted Buoy 1 (30°01.516'N, 84°10.580'W); thence, southerly in a
straight line to a point on the Florida Waters boundary located at
29°51.963'N, 84°10.330'W.
(4) "Body," as it relates to a part of a
shrimp trawl, means the forward, larger portion of a trawl from the leading
edge of the net to the cod end.
(5)
"Brine box" means a container holding water that has a higher salinity than the
the surrounding seawater.
(6) "Cod
end," also known as the "tail" or "bag" of a shrimp trawl, means the terminal
cylinder of heavy webbing in which the catch is concentrated as the trawl is
fished and which is closed at its rearmost extent by means of purse line or
draw string.
(7) "Daylight hours"
means the period beginning 1/2 hour before official sunrise and continuing
through 1/2 hour after official sunset, each day.
(8) "Food shrimp producer" means a person
harvesting shrimp for commercial purposes who is not a live bait shrimp
producer, or is harvesting shrimp with a gear authorized for food shrimp
producers for a specific region in Rules
68B-31.0061 through
68B-31.0065,
F.A.C.
(9) "Frame net" means a net
in the form of an elongated bag kept open by a rigid frame that is buoyed by
floats and is not fished or dragged along the bottom.
(10) "Inland waters" means all creeks,
rivers, bayous, bays, inlets, and canals.
(11) "Live bait shrimp producer" means any
person harvesting shrimp for the purpose of delivering and selling that shrimp
alive for use as bait.
(12)
"Northeast Region" means all Florida Waters of Nassau, Duval, St. Johns,
Flagler, Volusia, and Brevard counties, including all of the St. Johns
River.
(13) "Northwest Region"
means all Florida Waters of Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Gulf,
and Franklin counties, and all Florida Waters of Wakulla County west of the Big
Bend Region.
(14) "Perimeter" means
the opening or entrance to a shrimp net or trawl. The perimeter so formed is
measured as a continuous line from point to point along the line or frame
forming the leading edge of the net.
(15) "Push net" means a mesh net or bag
attached to the outer edges of a triangular or rectangular rigid frame with a
handle attached.
(16) "Recreational
harvester" means a person who is engaging in an activity regulated by Chapter
68B-31, F.A.C., who is not a live bait shrimp producer or a food shrimp
producer.
(17) "Rigged for fishing"
means the trawl is in the water, or is shackled, tied, or otherwise connected
to a sled, door, board, or other device that spreads the net, or is connected
to a tow rope, cable, pole, or extension, either on board or attached in any
manner to the vessel.
(18) "Roller
frame trawl" means a trawl with all of the following features:
(a) A rectangular rigid frame to keep the
mouth open while being towed.
(b)
The lower horizontal beam of the frame has rollers to allow the trawl to roll
over the bottom and any obstructions while being towed.
(c) The trawl opening is shielded by a grid
of vertical bars.
(d) The trawl is
towed by attaching a line or towing cable to a tongue located above or at the
center of the upper horizontal beam of the frame.
(e) The trawl has no doors attached to keep
the mouth of the trawl open.
(19) "Shrimp" means any decapod crustacean of
the species Penaeus aztecus (brown shrimp), Penaeus brasiliensis (pinkspotted
shrimp), Penaeus duorarum (pink shrimp), Penaeus setiferus (white shrimp),
Rimapenaeus constrictus (roughneck shrimp), Rimapenaeus similis (roughback
shrimp), and Xiphopenaeus kroyeri (seabob).
(20) "Skimmer trawl" means a trawl with the
following features:
(a) A rigid "L"-shaped or
triangular metal frame that is deployed amidship from either side of the
harvesting vessel.
(b) The inboard
portion of the frame is attached to the vessel, while the outboard portion runs
along the seabed on a skid or "shoe."
(c) The net mouth or perimeter is hung along
the outer edges of the frame and kept open with a bullet weight holding the
lower inboard corner of the net mouth on the bottom.
(d) A tickler chain may be attached below the
lead line between the shoe and the bullet weight.
(e) The trawl is pushed alongside the
harvesting vessel and generally fishes the entire water column.
(21) "Southeast Region" means all
Florida Waters of Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward,
Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties.
(22) "Southwest Region" means all Florida
Waters of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, and
Collier counties.
(23) "Tampa Bay"
means all waters of Tampa Bay east and north of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge
(U.S. Highway 19 and Interstate 275).
(24) For purposes of this chapter and Section
379.246, F.S., "Tortugas Shrimp
Beds" means all waters within the following geographic boundary:
Begin at a point located at 25°52.904'N, 81°37.933'W
(Coon Key Light in Collier County); thence proceed on a straight line to a
point which is located at 24°50.700'N, 81°51.300'W; thence proceed on a
straight line to a point located at 24°39.996'N, 82°26.650'W (New
Grounds Shoals Light); thence proceed on a straight line to a point located at
24°34.727'N, 82°35.445'W (Rebecca Shoal Lighted Buoy 4); thence proceed
on a straight line due east to a point located at 24°35.100'N,
82°13.200'W; thence proceed along the Florida Waters boundary to a point
located at 24°27.200'N, 81°58.900'W; thence proceed due east to a point
located at 24°27.349'N, 81°52.638'W (Sand Key Light); thence proceed
northerly to a point located at 24°32.655'N, 81°48.309'W (Whitehead
Spit); thence along the south and east meandered shoreline of the Florida Keys
and the connecting viaducts between said keys to a point located at
25°01.120'N, 80°30.000'W; thence north until a point on the mainland at
25°12.090'N, 80°30.000'W; thence proceed west and north along the coast
of the mainland of Florida until a point located due north of Coon Key Light in
Collier County at 25°56.521'N, 81°37.933'W; thence due south to a point
located at 25°52.904'N, 81°37.933'W (Coon Key Light), the point of
beginning.
(25) "Try net"
means a small otter trawl pulled for brief periods to test waters for the
presence or size of shrimp or to determine fishing conditions.
(26) "Unconnected" means two trawls not
joined or linked together. Except that two trawls, each of which is attached to
a sled in lieu of the inner door of each trawl, shall be considered unconnected
if a separation of at least 10 feet is maintained at all times during
trawling.
(27) "Wing net" means a
net in the form of an elongated bag kept open by a rigid frame that is attached
to either side of a vessel, and is not towed behind a vessel or dragged along
the bottom.
