Lodgings full for upcoming mini-season

By Steve Estes

Many local lodging establishments and vacation rentals are reporting full bookings this week in anticipation of the annual lobster mini-season.

The two day event opens at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, July 28 and continues through midnight Thursday, July 29.

The annual sport-diving event is expected to draw between 20,000 and 25,000 visitors to the Keys to chase the elusive spiny lobster.

Only bully netters will be permitted to hit the water before dawn Wednesday. After dawn, all bets are off and anyone with a valid crawfish tag on their saltwater fishing license can hit the depths to catch up to six spiny lobsters per day, with a maximum take of 12 for the two-day span, until sunset, when bully netters can take over again.

There are no significant new rules for mini-season this year. The bag limit is still six per fisherman per day with a total of 12. The lobster must not be an egg-bearing female and must be more than three inches long at the carapace.

There is no lobster diving allowed in man-made canals during mini-season, and there is no diving allowed within 100 feet or man-made structures.

Every diver must have a lobster gauge while in the water so the potential catch can be measured before it hits the boat.

Tails cannot be wrung until the boat has docked. There can be no spearing of lobster.

As in year’s past, local and state law enforcement agencies will be beefing up their presence during the event, posting spot-checks on the water, at docks and marinas, and on the roads.

Divers are urged to remember that the number of lobster tails in the cooler must equal the allowable take for the people in the vehicle.

There will be information booths set up in Key Largo and at all the Chambers of Commerce for accurate information.

Boaters must have a diver down flag in the water when there are swimmers over the side, and divers operating from land must have a diver down flag in the vicinity, best if attached to them in some fashion.

Boat operators are reminded that all Coast Guard safety gear is required and checks on capacity could be conducted.

Boat operators are required to stay 300 feet from a diver down flag to avoid potential accidents with surfacing swimmers.

Regular season opens August 6, when commercial boats and recreational divers can hit the water together.

Local residents have long complained about the chaos that reigns in the Keys during mini-season when more than 20,000 people pour in to chase bugs, but the business community considers the event a much-needed economic shot in the arm, one they hope will get them through the long, slow-paced days of August and September before the spectacle of Fantasy Fest again brings tens of thousands of visitors to the island chain.