68B-45.007. Blue Crab Effort Management Program

(1) Beginning in the 2007/2008 license year, in addition to a valid saltwater products license and a valid restricted species endorsement, a blue crab effort management endorsement number is required to harvest or possess blue crab in quantities greater than the recreational bag limit or to sell blue crab.

(2) The Commission shall notify all holders of a 2004/2005 commercial saltwater products license with a restricted species endorsement and an existing blue crab endorsement of their initial eligibility or denial of a blue crab effort management endorsement. Those notified will indicate either their acceptance of the initial award of a blue crab effort management endorsement number by completion of an acceptance application (Form DMF-SL4500, Blue Crab Effort Management Endorsement Application (09-06), incorporated herein by reference) or submit an application to appeal (Form DMF-SL4510, Application for Appeal of Blue Crab Effort Management Endorsement (09-06), incorporated herein by reference), as specified in paragraph (11)(b).

(3)(a) Except for those qualifying for a non-transferable blue crab effort management endorsement as specified in subsection (6), the Blue Crab Effort Management Endorsement Application must be received by the Commission no later than September 30, 2007. An applicant may be a person, firm, or corporation.

(b) In order to qualify for a blue crab effort management endorsement number other than a V-N endorsement issued pursuant to subsection (6), an applicant must have held a valid saltwater products license with a valid restricted species endorsement and a blue crab endorsement pursuant to Section 379.366, F.S., at the time of application and establish landings as specified in paragraph (3)(c).

(c) Qualified blue crab effort management endorsement number applicants must have documented blue crab landings in quantities as specified in subsection (4) or (5) pursuant to Commission trip ticket records generated under the provisions of Rule Chapter 68E-5, F.A.C., during at least one of the following three license years: July 1, 2000 through June 30, 2001, July 1, 2001 through June 30, 2002, or July 1, 2002 through June 30, 2003. Qualifying landings must have been received by the FWC by August 1, 2003; applicants lacking sufficient blue crab landings during the qualifying years may have their eligibility for a blue crab effort management endorsement considered by the blue crab effort management endorsement appeals board as specified in subsection (11).

(4) Hard Shell Blue Crab Endorsement (V-H). The hard shell blue crab effort management endorsement is required to harvest commercial quantities of hard shell blue crab using gears as authorized in subsection 68B-45.004(1), F.A.C.

(a) In order to obtain a V-H endorsement on a saltwater products license, an applicant must have documented landings of hard shell blue crab equal to or greater than 500 pounds during any one of the qualifying years as specified in paragraph (3)(c). Persons holding more than one saltwater products license, none of which individually have 500 pounds of hard shell blue crab landings, may qualify for a single V-H endorsement if the sum of hard shell blue crab landings listed on multiple saltwater products licenses that have a restricted species endorsement and current blue crab endorsement is equal to or greater than 500 pounds.

(b) An applicant qualifying for a V-H endorsement pursuant to paragraph (4)(a) may receive a unique endorsement number on each additional saltwater products license with a restricted species endorsement and current blue crab endorsement if the applicant has hard shell blue crab landings equal to or greater than 7,500 pounds on each such license during any one of the qualifying landings years as specified in paragraph (3)(c).

(c) An applicant will be issued a unique V-H endorsement number for each qualifying saltwater products license.

(d) Once eligible, a qualifying applicant shall be entitled to deploy up to 600 hard shell blue crab traps in any state waters and an additional 400 hard shell blue crab traps in offshore state waters in the Gulf of Mexico per V-H endorsement number.

(e) Persons holding a hard shell V-H endorsement number shall be allowed to land a maximum bycatch of 150 peeler crabs daily and operate up to three peeler crab shedding tanks.

(5) Soft Shell Blue Crab Endorsement (V-S). The soft shell blue crab effort management endorsement is required to harvest peeler blue crabs in excess of the bycatch limit established in paragraph (4)(e) using gears as authorized in subsection 68B-45.004(2), F.A.C., or to produce soft shell blue crabs with more than three (3) shedding tanks.

(a) In order to obtain a V-S endorsement number on a saltwater products license, an applicant must have documented landings of soft shell or peeler blue crabs equal to or greater than 750 crabs during any one of the qualifying years as specified in paragraph (3)(c). Persons holding more than one saltwater products license, none of which individually have 750 soft shell or peeler blue crabs, may qualify for a V-S endorsement number if the sum of soft shell or peeler blue crab landings listed on multiple licenses is equal to or greater than 750 soft shell or peeler blue crabs.

(b) An applicant that qualifies for a single V-S endorsement number pursuant to paragraph (5)(a) may receive a unique V-S endorsement number on one additional saltwater products license if such license has documented landings of soft shell blue crab or peeler crab landings equal to or greater than 2,500 crabs during any one of the qualifying landings years specified in paragraph (3)(c).

(c) An applicant will be issued a unique V-S endorsement number for each qualifying saltwater products license.

(d) Once eligible, the holder of a V-S endorsement number as specified in paragraph (a) shall be entitled to fish up to 400 peeler crab traps as specified in subsection 68B-45.004(2), F.A.C., in state waters.

(e) Persons holding a V-S endorsement number as specified in paragraph (b) shall be entitled to fish up to 250 peeler crab traps as specified in subsection 68B-45.004(2), F.A.C., in state waters in addition to those specified in paragraph (d).

(f) No single V-S endorsement number holder may hold more than two V-S endorsement numbers at any one time.

(6) Non-transferable blue crab effort management endorsement (V-N).  Persons will qualify for the V-N endorsement if they held a valid saltwater products license with a valid restricted species endorsement and a blue crab endorsement pursuant to Section 379.366, F.S., at the time of application, have had no convictions for violations associated with gears defined in subsection 68B-4.002(3) or (4), F.A.C., since July 1, 1995, and have documented landings using such gears pursuant to Commission trip tickets generated for the Marine Information System under Rule Chapter 68E-5, F.A.C., prior to July 1, 1995, or, sold nets to the state according to the provisions of the net buy back program, Chapter 95-414, Laws of Florida. Qualifying landings must have been received by the Marine Information System no later than August 1, 1995.

(a) The non-transferable blue crab effort management endorsement cannot be sold or otherwise transferred to any other person as described in subsection (15) or (16).

(b) The holder of a non-transferable blue crab effort management endorsement number shall be entitled to purchase up to 100 hard shell blue crab trap tags that will allow them to deploy a like number of hard shell blue crab traps in any state waters where blue crab traps are allowed.

(c) Applicants qualifying for a V-N blue crab effort management endorsement number pursuant to this subsection may apply for the endorsement by completing and submitting application Form DMF-SL4570, Non-Transferable Blue Crab Effort Management Endorsement (09-06), incorporated herein by reference.

(d) Applicants must submit their application to the Commission no later than September 30, 2007. An applicant may be a person, firm, or corporation.

(e) Applicants qualifying pursuant to subsection (6) will only be eligible for one V-N endorsement.

(f) Applicants initially denied a V-N endorsement number may appeal their denial by submitting a completed appeals application form (DMF-4580, Application for Appeal of the Non-Transferable Blue Crab Limited Entry Endorsement (09-06), hereby incorporated by reference), to the Director of the Division of Marine Fisheries Management by September 30, 2007.

(g) The Executive Director of the Commission or his designee shall consider disputes or problems of applicants appealing their initial denial of a V-N award.

(h) The burden of proof shall be on the appellant to demonstrate through either: 1) copies of trip tickets or other proof of landings described in paragraph (a) legitimate sales to a licensed wholesale dealer that were not reported by the wholesale dealer or included in the agencies database, or 2) proof of sales to the state according to the provisions of the net buy back program, Chapter 95-414, Laws of Florida.

(i) The holder of a V-N blue crab effort management endorsement number shall be subject to the same trap tag requirements described in subsection (7).

(j) The holder of a V-N blue crab effort management endorsement number shall be subject to the same renewal criteria described in subsection (9).

(k) The holder of a V-N blue crab effort management endorsement number shall be subject to the renewal criteria described in paragraph (10)(a).

(l) The holder of a V-N blue crab effort management endorsement number shall not be eligible to serve either on the blue crab limited entry appeals board described in subsection (11) or the advisory board described in subsection (12).

(m) The holder of a V-N endorsement number shall be subject to the requirements of subsections (13) and (14).

(n) If the holder of a V-N blue crab effort management endorsement number purchases a V-H endorsement described in subsection (4) or a V-S endorsement described in subsection (5), the non-transferable endorsement shall be forfeited.

(7) Trap Tags.

(a) Trap tags shall only be issued to holders of a current valid saltwater products license with a restricted species endorsement and a blue crab effort management endorsement number.

(b) Beginning July 1, 2007, each trap used for the directed harvest of blue crabs must have securely fastened thereto a current trap tag issued annually by the Commission. Each such tag shall be manufactured by a Commission vendor and made of durable plastic or similarly durable material and shall have printed thereon the holder’s blue crab effort management endorsement number. To facilitate enforcement and record keeping, such tags shall be issued each year in a color different from those used in the preceding three years. Traps with tags that are not securely fastened shall be considered untagged for enforcement purposes.

(c) Blue crab trap tags shall only be issued to natural persons. For the purpose of this section, the term “natural person” or “person” refers to a human being and does not include a firm, organization, partnership, association, corporation, or other business or legal entity or group or combination. A corporation that holds a blue crab effort management endorsement number shall designate one individual to whom they are assigning their trap tags.

(d) Each person who possesses a blue crab effort management endorsement number shall annually submit a blue crab effort management endorsement trap tag order application form stating the number of tags they wish to receive, up to the maximum specified in subsection (4) or (5) from February 1 through March 15 to ensure receipt of tags before the beginning of the next license year. However, tags ordered after this time period may not be available prior to the beginning of the next license year.

(e) Trap tags may only be ordered in blocks of 50 tags.

(f) Blue crab trap tags shall not be issued to blue crab effort management endorsement holders until all license fees and any other outstanding fees owed the Commission have been paid in full and are current and the tag holder’s saltwater products license with valid restricted species endorsement and blue crab effort management endorsement are not otherwise inactive.

(g) Lost or damaged tags may be replaced using Commission Form DMF-SL4530 (05-05), Blue Crab Trap Tag Replacement Application, incorporated herein by reference, and upon proper verification of loss as provided in paragraph (i). Damaged tags must be immediately returned to the Commission.

(h) As part of the Blue Crab Trap Tag Replacement Application (DMF-SL 4530 (05-05)), the applicant shall provide the tag holder’s name, saltwater products license number, blue crab effort management endorsement number, the number of tags that were lost, location or area where the tags were lost, and circumstances under which the tags were lost.

(8) Effective September 30, 2007, no additional blue crab effort management endorsements will be issued except to applicants qualifying as specified in subsection (18), and no blue crab effort management endorsement will be renewed or replaced except those that were issued pursuant to subsection (4), (5), (6) or (11).

(9) Beginning in the 2008/2009 license year, each holder of a blue crab effort management endorsement number, or an immediate family member of such holder in the case of an individual, must renew the endorsement number each license year before September 30. Failure to renew the endorsement number by September 30 of any year will result in forfeiture of the endorsement number.

(10) Requalification. Beginning with license year 2010/2011, the holder of a blue crab effort management endorsement number, except those qualifying as specified in subsection (18), must requalify for the endorsement number by documenting landings on such endorsement as specified in paragraph (a) or (b) in at least one of the previous three license years. Each endorsement number will then be valid for three years from the date of requalification, but must still be renewed annually as required by subsection (8). Except for the V-I endorsement specified in subsection (18), any blue crab effort management endorsement number not meeting the requalification criteria as specified in paragraph (a) or (b) will not be renewed.

(a) In order to requalify a V-H or a V-N endorsement number, an applicant for requalification must document landings equal to or exceeding 500 pounds of hard shell blue crabs. Persons wishing to also requalify V-H endorsement numbers on additional saltwater products licenses must document landings equal to or exceeding 7,500 pounds of hard shell blue crabs on each of those licenses.

(b) In order to requalify a V-S endorsement number, an applicant for requalification must document landings equal to or exceeding 750 soft crabs or peeler crabs. Persons wishing to also requalify a V-S endorsement number on an additional saltwater products license must document landings equal to or exceeding 2,500 soft crabs or peeler crabs on that license.

(11) Blue Crab Appeals Board. The Executive Director of the Commission shall appoint an appeals board composed of six blue crab effort management endorsement holders or wholesale seafood dealers and one Commission staff member to consider disputes or problems arising from the initial denial of a blue crab effort management endorsement.

(a) The six members of the appeals board will consist of at least four members that qualify for a V-H endorsement number and at least one that qualifies for a V-S endorsement number. No member may have appealed their initial blue crab effort management endorsement award.

(b) The burden of proof shall be on an appellant to demonstrate, through copies of trip tickets or other proof of landings, legitimate sales to a licensed wholesale dealer that were not reported by the wholesale dealer during the qualifying years or included in the agency landings database as of August 1, 2003.

(c) Criteria for issuance of blue crab effort management endorsement numbers by the appeals board on grounds of hardship shall be established by the Blue Crab Advisory Board.

(d) After disputes are considered, a recommendation shall be submitted to the Executive Director of the Commission, or his designee, for resolution of the appeal, which recommendation shall either allot an endorsement number to the appellant or uphold the denial of an endorsement number. Notice will be given in writing to the appellant explaining the reasons for the final decision. The action of the Executive Director of the Commission constitutes final agency action, and is appealable pursuant to the requirements of Chapter 120, F.S.

(12) Blue Crab Advisory Board. There is hereby established the Blue Crab Advisory Board. Such board shall consider and advise the Commission on the operation of the effort management program and any problems in the fishery.

(a) The board shall consist of a member of the Commission staff appointed by the Executive Director of the Commission, and eight members appointed by the Executive Director of the Commission according to the following criteria, except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b).

1. All appointed members other than the commission staff person shall be holders of a blue crab effort management endorsement holders and shall not have been convicted of any violations of Chapter 68B-45, F.A.C., within the last six (6) years. At least two shall have blue crab landings equal to or greater than 5,000 pounds during the preceding license year and at least two shall have landings less than 5,000 pounds during such license year.

2. At least five appointed members shall hold a V-H endorsement number, and at least two shall hold a V-S endorsement number.

3. At least one member shall come from each of the following regions of Florida:

a. Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Gulf, Franklin, Wakulla counties;

b. Jefferson, Taylor, Dixie, Levy, Citrus, Hernando, Pasco counties;

c. Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, Collier counties;

d. Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, Dade, Monroe counties;

e. Nassau, Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Putnam, Flagler, Volusia, Brevard counties.

(b) If there are not enough individuals that meet the above-referenced criteria, the Executive Director of the Commission may fill any position on the initial board with an individual who does not fulfill the requirements of subparagraph (11)(a)3. However, as soon as individuals are available that meet such requirements, the Executive Director of the Commission may reconstitute the board with qualified appointees. The Executive Director of the Commission shall replace any board member who is cited for and convicted of a violation of Chapter 68B-45, F.A.C., or who misses more than two scheduled meetings of the board without approval from the board chair, with another blue crab fisherman from any region.

(c) Holders of blue crab effort management endorsement numbers wanting to be considered for appointment to the Blue Crab Advisory Board shall make their request on Commission Form DMF-SL4540 (09-06), incorporated herein by reference.

(d) The staff member of the Commission appointed by the Executive Director of the Commission shall sit on the board as a voting member. The board shall annually elect a chair and a vice chair the first meeting in the calendar year. The Commission staff member may not serve as either chair or vice chair. There shall be no limitation on successive terms that may be served by a chair or vice chair. The board shall meet at the call of its chair, at the request of a majority of its membership or at the request of the Commission. Official action of the board shall require a majority vote of the total membership of the board members present during a meeting.

(e) Board members shall serve staggered terms of up to three (3) years, provided however, that this shall not apply to the Commission staff member who serves at the pleasure of the Executive Director of the Commission.

(f) Members of the board shall receive no compensation, however, they shall be reimbursed for per diem and travel expenses as provided in Section 112.061, F.S.

(g) Upon reaching a decision on any issue brought before it, the board shall submit such decision as a recommendation to the Executive Director of the Commission. The Executive Director of the Commission may submit said recommendation to the Commission at his or her discretion.

(h) The board shall have the authority to conduct workshops with fishers to determine what problems exist in the fishery and to make recommendations to the Commission to solve those problems.

(i) On July 1, 2012, the board is dissolved unless extended by the Executive Director of the Commission.

(13) Leasing Prohibited. The leasing or renting of blue crab effort management endorsement numbers, tags, or traps is prohibited.

(14) Endorsement Holder Responsibility. The holder of a blue crab endorsement number is responsible for the actions of anyone working under that endorsement. All monies or proceeds from the sale of blue crabs landed under the blue crab effort management endorsement holder’s saltwater products license shall be issued only to the endorsement holder.

(15) Transferability. After the initial issuance, the hard shell blue crab (V-H) and soft shell blue crab (V-S) effort management endorsement numbers are transferable upon approval of the Commission under the following conditions:

(a) The buyer must hold a saltwater products license with a valid restricted species endorsement and a blue crab effort management endorsement number. If a buyer does not possess a blue crab effort management endorsement number, they must hold a certificate of completion of the blue crab apprentice program as specified in paragraph (b).

(b) Persons not already holding a blue crab effort management endorsement number and wishing to purchase such an endorsement number shall complete an apprenticeship program consisting of working no fewer than fourteen (14) days fishing for blue crab with a properly licensed blue crab effort management endorsement number holder. As evidence thereof, such person must possess a blue crab effort management apprenticeship form (DMF-SL4550 (09-06), incorporated herein by reference) signed by the endorsement holder attesting to the applicant having worked no fewer than fourteen (14) days fishing for blue crabs on the endorsement holder’s vessel.

(c) A person who wishes to transfer an endorsement number shall submit a notarized statement of intent within 72 hours of the final notarized signature, that has been signed by both parties to the transaction, hand delivered, or sent by United States Postal Service certified mail, return receipt requested, to the Commission between May 1 and the end of February. Requests received by the Commission before May 1 or postmarked after the end of February of the current license year will not be processed. The statement of intent (Form DMF-SL 4560 (09-06), incorporated herein by reference), shall include the following information:

1. The name, address, and SPL number of seller;

2. The name, address, and SPL number of buyer; and

3. The selling price.

(d) A blue crab effort management endorsement number shall not be issued, transferred, or renewed until all license fees, surcharges, and any other outstanding fees, fines, or penalties owed to the Commission by either party to the transaction have been paid in full.

(16) In the event of the death or permanent disability of a person holding a blue crab endorsement number, the endorsement number may be transferred by the license holder or the executor of the estate to a member of his or her immediate family within 12 months of the date of death or disability and upon payment of all outstanding fees, fines, or penalties to the Commission in full.

(17) No Vested Rights. This blue crab effort management program does not create any vested rights for endorsement number holders whatsoever and may be altered or terminated by the Commission as necessary to protect the blue crab resource, the participants of the fishery, or the public interest.

(18) Blue crab incidental take endorsement.  Persons possessing a valid stone crab endorsement or can demonstrate landings of blue crabs caught as bycatch by shrimp gears that were used to lawfully harvest shrimp pursuant to Commission trip tickets generated for the Marine Information System under Rule Chapter 68E-5, F.A.C., will qualify for a blue crab incidental take endorsement (V-I). The holder of a V-I number shall be entitled to harvest and sell blue crab as bycatch, provided the amount does not exceed 200 pounds of blue crabs per vessel per trip.

Rulemaking Authority Art. IV, Sec. 9, Fla. Const. Law Implemented Art. IV, Sec. 9, Fla. Const. History–New 5-26-05, Amended 3-30-06, 9-21-06, 7-31-07, 1-26-11.