Share this story | More Date of Issue: Sep 8, 2010 Snook season remains closed By Nick Walter Islander Reporter The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission decided Thursday to continue to prohibit the harvest of snook in Florida’s Gulf of Mexico, Everglades National Park and Monroe County state and federal waters until Sept. 1, 2011. The prohibition stems from the latest status of the snook population, which suggests from studies and surveys that snook on the Gulf Coast were impacted much more by the prolonged cold weather this past winter than on the Atlantic Coast. That’s why the FWC also decided to re-open the recreational harvest of snook on the Atlantic Sept. 17. The season will be closed 15 until Sept. 1, 2011. The FWC considered re-opening snook season because snook are such a valuable tourist attraction. Snook are considered Florida’s premiere game fish because they are unique to Florida and simply are not easy to catch. Snook are sensitive to vibrations in the water, and so “spook” easily with sounds such as a boat motor or a hatch slamming. The linesiders also gained popularity for their gameness, including their finely honed instincts for bolting to a structure after being hooked. Snook, however, are mostly intolerant of water temperatures under 60 degrees. Last winter, surface water temperatures in local bays reportedly reached 43 degrees. Many area captains voiced their opinion to keep tight regulations on snook, because many were witnesses to the high numbers of dead snook in canals and waterways. Also, snook have yet to return in numbers to their traditional spots. Snook have been strictly regulated in Florida for 50 years with summer and winter closed-harvest seasons, restrictive slot limits, one-bag limits during open season, and a prohibition on the sale of snook. According to an FWC news release, the FWC believes measures it took Sept. 2 helped ensure the snook abundance was healthy enough before the freeze to enable the fishery to rebound and grow in spite of cold-weather impacts.