Queen triggerfishin Florida (Gulf)
Balistes vetula
Also called Old wife.
The rule in Florida (Gulf)
Florida (Gulf)’s own rule for queen triggerfish in state waters, out to 9 nautical miles.
FWC triggerfish page treats queen triggerfish as a marine life species that must be landed alive; food-harvest treatment unverified.
Counts toward an aggregate limit: Marine life aggregate.
FWC 2026· checked · likelyOpen
Often mistaken for, and their Florida (Gulf) rules
Keep the wrong fish and the rule that applies is the other one’s.
| Fish | Size | Bag | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queen triggerfishThis page. | No size limit | 5 per species within 20-organism marine life aggregate | Open year-round |
| Gray triggerfishDrab gray with saddle blotches.Tell them apart | 15 in fork length min | 1 per person | Open Mar 1-May 31 and Aug 1-Dec 31 |
| Ocean triggerfishPlain gray-brown, offshore.Tell them apart | Not listed by Florida (Gulf): the default applies (No size limit, 2 fish or 100 lb per person per day, whichever is greater) | ||
How to tell it
The painted trigger — curving blue face lines, gold-to-purple body, trailing tail filaments. More on the queen triggerfish page: every state’s rule, the records, and how anglers catch it.
Queen triggerfish in other states
In the app
Point the camera at a queen triggerfish in Florida (Gulf) and this rule is on the screen before you take the picture. No signal needed.
Get the appQueen triggerfish in Florida (Gulf): the questions
What is the size limit for queen triggerfish in Florida (Gulf)?
No size limit.
How many queen triggerfish can you keep in Florida (Gulf)?
5 per species within 20-organism marine life aggregate. It counts toward an aggregate: Marine life aggregate.
When is queen triggerfish season in Florida (Gulf)?
Open year-round.
How current is this Florida (Gulf) queen triggerfish rule?
Source: FWC 2026, last checked Sep 20, 2026. A watchman re-reads the agency's pages nightly. Rules change mid-season by proclamation; the official rulebook is the final word.