U. S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Stacy Kenerly, Boarding Team member for Station Key West, fills out the safety inspection paperwork during a recreational vessel boarding while on patrol in Calda Channel, just north of Key West, on the first day of Mini Lobster season, July 26, 2017. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Sara Romero.
KEY WEST, Fla. – The Coast Guard and, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission conducted safety inspections and fishery boardings Wednesday during the 2017 Mini Lobster Season in Key West.
Coast Guard Station Key West and FWC boarding team members patrolled the waters of Key West during the two-day fishing season and conducting boardings to enforce the state and federal fishery laws and safety regulations.
The Mini Lobster season is a two-day annual sport fishing season beginning at 12:01 a.m. on the last Wednesday of July and ends at midnight the last Thursday of July. During that time, hundreds of Spiny Lobsters were measured and recorded each day as the recreational fishermen and divers crowded the Florida Keys.
“It was very beneficial having an FWC officer aboard our vessel while we conducted our boardings because he was able to handle all of the state laws and fisheries while we took care of the safety inspection and the federal side of things,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Daniel McCravy, crewmember at Station Key West. “As the FWC officer was measuring the lobster and checking the additional fish aboard, the boarding team was checking the safety equipment and registrations. It made for a quick and efficient boarding, which allows everyone to do more boardings in less time.”
