Culmination of Effort That Began Last Year Clarifies Responsibility and Ensures Options for Divers and Dive Operators in Fishing and Lobster Licensing Law
Following months of close collaboration with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), DEMA has succeeded in placing language regarding the licensure of dive charter vessels in Florida House Bill 7025. This Bill amends a previous law which would have forced dive charter operators to purchase a fishing and lobster license when advertising for or knowingly permitting scuba divers to take fish or lobster from their vessels while diving.
“It is immensely gratifying to see our work in this matter come to fruition,” commented Tom Ingram, Executive Director of DEMA. “As the previous legislation was written, it was unclear as to who would be required to possess the fishing and lobster license and therefore unfair to both dive charter vessel operators and divers. By working with officials …