Lobster season begins this week in Key West

The regular lobster season has officially begun in Florida, marking the long-awaited return of this popular recreational fishing activity.

Below are several important safety tips and rules you should know before you head out on the water.

Legal lobsters weigh about 1 pound and have a carapace shell of at least 3 inches or bigger. In Monroe County, you may keep six lobsters per person per day. It is not permissible to use any device that could harm the exoskeleton of spiny lobsters nor are divers allowed to separate the tail from the body or to take egg-bearing spiny lobsters in Florida waters. Recreational trapping is not allowed.

Violating the rules and regulations set for the lobster season can result in hefty fines of up to $500 and a maximum of 60 days in jail, according to Florida Statutes.

Boaters should always keep an eye out for divers-down flags, but should also be aware that there will likely be more divers out on the water with the excitement of the first days of the season. Divers are required to display divers-down flags to notify passing boats of their presence in the water. Boaters in open waters should keep a 300-foot distance between themselves and a divers-down flag and operate at idle speed. When in bays, inlets, navigational channels or rivers, boats are required to keep a 100-foot distance between them and the flags while operating at idle speeds.

Unless otherwise exempt, lobster divers must also have a valid recreational saltwater fishing license and a lobster permit. The regular lobster season takes place Aug. 6 – March 31 every year. The mini-lobster season happened two weeks ago beginning on July 24 and ending on July 25. On the first day of the mini-season, a lobster diver was rushed to the hospital after being hit by a passing boat. The man was helicoptered out of Key West with life-threatening injuries, according to previous reporting by local news outlets.

Tragedies on the Water

Leesfield & Partners has operated out of Central and South Florida in places like Orlando, Miami and Key West for over four decades. In the years representing personal injury clients and their families, attorneys have witnessed first-hand the effects of

One case handled by Leesfield & Partners attorneys involved a diver whose flags were set out to alert boaters in the area to his presence. The diver was struck by a boater in middle school who should never have been driving the vessel and was known to have driven dangerously in the past. The teen boater did not stop after he hit the diver. The diver died from his injuries. Leesfield & Partners attorneys were able to secure a $1.7 million award for the grieving family.

Leesfield & Partners attorneys also represented the family of a snorkeling excursion passenger who died after the charter boat collided with a channel market. Attorneys with the firm secured $1,850,000 for the family.

In another case involving a diver, attorneys were able to secure $2 million in the wrongful death case of a snorkeler killed after a motorboat failed to see divers-down flags in the area.

Leesfield & Partners attorneys have seen all manner of accidents, deaths and the devastating effects of crashes on the water. These incidents have included motorboats, parasails and jet skis.

One such instance involved the injury of a man on a jet ski tour who was visiting Florida from California with his family. While on the tour, the family’s guides failed to alert them to dangerous conditions in the area and sped away from the family throughout the tour. The man collided with concrete bridge pilings and incurred severe injuries as a result.

A young woman who was a passenger on a speed boat that crashed into a concrete dock at night was killed in the incident. It was later discovered that the operator of the boat had been drinking the night she was killed. Leesfield & Partners attorneys secured a settlement with multiple defendants of over $1 million for the young woman’s family.

Safety Tips

Always wear a life jacket
Do not drink and boat
Make sure your boat is in good, working order and is equipped with emergency equipment such as radios, emergency flares, fire extinguishers and a first-aid kit.
Always tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back. If you find yourself in an emergency, that person will know to ring alarm bells and alert local authorities who will then have your last known area to begin their search.
If your boat capsizes, be sure to stay near it so that you are easier to spot by other boaters or by rescue teams in the air.
Always use diving flags when you are in the water and be sure to display one at the highest point of the vessel so that it can be seen from all directions.
Boaters must adhere to distance and speed regulations when they spot divers-down flags
Never allow children to drive a boat
Never leave children unattended while out on the water