Purpose


The purpose of this rule amendment is to provide reference in 68B-24 for areas that are closed to trap use and lobster harvest within Biscayne National Park (BNP). A series of Coral Reef Protection Areas (CRPA) within BNP were developed where trap use and lobster harvest will be prohibited in order to prevent damage to coral reef habitat that is particularly pristine, contains a disproportionally high amount of ESA-listed corals, or would experience especially high ecological benefits from further conservation. The effect of this rule amendment will be to reference new spatial closures to the harvest of lobster established in a newly created BNP chapter [68B-7, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.)].