Summary
These rule amendments would clarify, update, and establish the Marine Fisheries Trip Ticket Program’s reporting and recordkeeping requirements to make them easier to understand and to improve the timeliness of commercial saltwater fishing data collection to support and inform management decisions and fishery disaster requests. The rule changes would repeal Chapter 68E-5 F.A.C. and move rules related to the Marine Fisheries Trip Ticket Program from Chapter 68E-5 F.A.C. to Chapter 68B-65, F.A.C., require all trip tickets to be submitted through VESL software application, set a weekly reporting period (Sunday – Saturday) with a submission deadline three days after the reporting period ends, require all Florida-licensed wholesale dealers to report every reporting period, require commercial harvesters to report unsold product, and prohibit the possession of commercially harvested marine organisms if their harvest has not been reported within the applicable reporting period. The proposed effective date for these rule changes is July 1, 2025. This rulemaking accompanies rulemaking for Chapter 68B-65, F.A.C.