“There aren’t as many trout as there used to be, especially the bigger ones.” That is a lament I heard throughout the day at the 2025 FWC Seatrout Symposium held August 27 at the Hilton Daytona Beach.

The day started with biologists and fishery managers giving presentations on a variety of topics from trout biology and spawning habits to stock assessments and fishing regulations to seagrass restoration in Tampa Bay and the Indian River Lagoon. The audience was filled with what the FWC calls stakeholders; fishing guides, recreational anglers and commercial seatrout fishermen. Many folks probably didn’t know there was a commercial fishery for seatrout. It is small, estimated at less than 1% of the total harvest, but there are still a few old salts out there making a living in the summer by catching seatrout on hook and line.

Our beloved Indian River Lagoon seemed to be a dominant theme throughout the symposium as its trout population has been the hardest hit. The health of a species is closely linked to habitat quality, and the habitat in the Indian River Lagoon took a dive with the 2011 algal super bloom. Seagrass levels in the Lagoon and trout stocks both plummeted starting in 2011. The good news is seagrass is coming back in places, most notably Mosquito Lagoon, and trout populations have shown an uptick in the last couple of years. But trout fishing is still nowhere close to what it was before 2011.

The common consensus is habitat restoration is our number one priority, not only for seatrout but all inshore species. But that may not be enough. The FWC is looking to change how they manage seatrout and possibly update regulations for this fishery. The current recreational seatrout regulations for the Indian River Lagoon are two fish per person per day, with a slot limit of 15 to 19 inches with one allowed over 19 inches. All trout harvest is closed in November and December. In the breakout session I attended in the afternoon, everyone agreed those regulations need to change, most notably, stop letting anglers keep one trout over 19 inches. Most folks also agreed that all trout harvest in the Lagoon should be closed until the stocks have recovered.

Fisheries managers consider many factors when establishing fishing regulations, but one of the most important ones is stakeholder feedback. They want to hear from the people who are out on the water. Everyone reading this article is likely a stakeholder in the seatrout fishery.

It is not too late for your voice to be heard. In September, the FWC will hold 18 seatrout rulemaking workshops all across Florida. The three listed below will focus on the Indian River Lagoon. All workshops run from 6 to 8 in the evening. For more information on all the workshops visit MyFWC.com/SaltwaterWorkshops. This same website will also host a virtual Microsoft Teams workshop starting a 6 p.m. on Thursday, September 18. Finally, if you can’t attend any of these workshops but still want your concerns to be heard, comments can be submitted at MyFWC.com/SaltwaterComments.

  • Wednesday, September 10, Marine Discover Center, 520 Barracuda Blvd., New Smyrna Beach
  • Thursday, September 11, Catherine Schweinsberg Rood Central Library, 308 Forrest Ave., Cocoa
  • Monday, September 15, St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners, 2300 Virginia Ave., Ft. Pierce