• Inappropriately sized fish must be thrown back.fishing image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com
  
  The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has specific rules regarding the size of certain saltwater fish that may be harvested for personal use. In general, fish are measured in two ways. Most fish measurements are taken from the tip of the fish's snout to the furthest tip of the tail fin. However, fish with forked tails are measured by fork length: from the tip of the snout to the end of the depression in the tail's fork.
  
  

Fish

• Greater Amberjack (fork length): at least 28 inches in the Atlantic; 30 inches in the Gulf.
  
  Lesser Amberjack and Banded Rudderfish (fork length): must be between 14 and 22 inches in length.
  
  Billfish: Sailfish must be at least 63 inches; Blue Marlin must be at least 99 inches; White Marlin must be at least 66 inches.
  
  Black drum: must be between 14 and 24 inches.
  
  Bluefish (fork length): must be at least 12 inches long.
  
  Bonefish: must be at least 18 inches long.
  
  Cobia (ling) (fork length): must be at least 33 inches long.
  
  Flounder: must be at least 12 inches long.
  
  Gag: must be at least 24 inches long if harvested in Atlantic or Monroe County, must be at least 22 inches long if harvested in the Gulf outside of Monroe County.
  
  Grouper: (black) must be at least 24 inches long if harvested in Atlantic or Monroe County, must be at least 22 inches long if harvested in the Gulf outside of Monroe County; (red, snowy, yellowfin, yellowmouth) must be at least 20 inches long; (scamp) must be at least 20 inches long if harvested in Atlantic or Monroe County, must be at least 16 inches long if harvested in the Gulf outside of Monroe County.
  
  Hogfish (fork): must be at least 12 inches long.
  
  Mackerel (fork): (king) must be at least 24 inches long; (Spanish) must be at least 12 inches long.
  
  Permit and Pompano (fork): must be between 11 and 20 inches long.
  
  African Pompano (fork): must be at least 24 inches.
  
  Red Drum or Red Fish: must be between 18 and 27 inches.
  
  Red Porgy: must be at least 14 inches in length to be harvested in the Atlantic.
  
  Black Sea Bass: must be at least 12 inches in length to be harvested in the Atlantic; must be at least 10 inches in length to be harvested in the Gulf.
  
  Sheepshead: must be at least 12 inches long.
  
  Snapper: (cubera) at least 12 inches long; (gray mangrove) at least 10 inches long; (lane) at least 8 inches long; (mutton) at least 16 inches long; (red) at least 20 inches long in the Atlantic and at least 16 inches long in the Gulf; all other varieties of snapper must be at least 12 inches long.
  
  Snook: must be between 28 and 32 inches to be harvested in the Atlantic; must be between 28 and 33 inches to be harvested in the Gulf of Mexico, Monroe County or Everglades National Park.
  
  Spotted Seatrout: one fish may be over 20 inches long; all subsequently caught fish must be between 15 and 20 inches.
  
  Triggerfish (gray): must be at least 12 inches long in the Atlantic and at least 14 inches long in the Gulf.
  
  

Crustaceans

• Crawfish (spiny lobster): The carapace (the body segment between the head and the tail, where the legs are attached) must be larger than 3 inches in width. This measurement must be taken while the crawfish is still in the water.
  
  Hard-Shell Clam: must be 1-inch thick across its hinge.
  
  Oyster: must be at least 3 inches long.
  
  Stone Crab: The largest claw must be at least 2.75 inches in length.
  
  

Dolphin

• Atlantic Dolphin (fork length): must be at least 20 inches long.
  
  

Sharks (fork)

• All sharks must be at least 54 inches to be harvested. Exempt sharks are the Atlantic sharpnose, blacknose, blacktip, bonnethead, finetooth and smooth dogfish.