Florida Fish and Wildlife Division of Law Enforcement Bust Poachers Doing Illegal Crabbing Under the Cover of Darkness

Wildlife Alert Hotline: 888-404-3922

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Acting on a tip, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers headed out to apprehend a couple of guys doing some illegal crabbing under the cover of darkness.

In the wee small hours of the morning, FWC officers cracked the case finding the two suspects with a paint bucket full of blue crabs with puncture marks on their carapaces.

After the evidence photos were taken, the dead crabs were returned to the water to serve as a food source for other marine life. Gigging is an illegal way to take blue crabs, plus neither had a fishing license.

FWC officials appreciate your tips, so please keep reporting wildlife violations via their Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.

Trap Registration Requirements

Recreational fishers age 16 and older (including those normally exempt from needing a license) are required to complete an online, no-cost recreational blue and stone crab trap registration before using blue or stone crab traps.

To register, visit GoOutdoorsFlorida.com and add the Recreational Blue Crab Trap Registration or the Recreational Stone Crab Trap Registration to your account.

Upon completion, each person will receive unique trap registration numbers that must be included on each trap, along with the owner’s full name and address. Registration numbers for blue crab traps will begin with the letter “B”; registration numbers for stone crab traps will begin with the letter “S.”

This information must be legible and must be permanently attached to each trap.

This no-cost registration will allow FWC to collect important information about these recreational fisheries needed for future stock assessments and management decisions.

Traps must be registered annually, but the unique registration number will not change year to year.

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