Key Biscayne boaters and divers heading out for Florida's two-day spiny lobster miniseason face a lower bag limit and a year-round no-take zone that stretches from their own shoreline south through the bay.

The season opens at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday and closes at 11:59 p.m. Thursday. The 48-hour window draws thousands of recreational anglers to South Florida waters each year, the Miami Herald reported.

Key Biscayne divers face a stricter catch limit than the rest of the state

Anywhere inside Biscayne National Park, the daily bag limit is six lobsters per person, half the 12-per-person limit that applies elsewhere in the state. The possession limit on the water equals the daily bag. Off the water, anglers may possess up to six on Wednesday and up to 12 on Thursday (reflecting two days' legal catch), according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

A permanent sanctuary south of the island bans harvesting year-round

The Biscayne Bay-Card Sound Lobster Sanctuary is closed to lobster harvest year-round. Its boundary runs from Matheson Hammock to Cape Florida on Key Biscayne, then south along the eastern high-water line of the barrier islands, including Soldier Key, Ragged Keys, Boca Chita Key, Sands Key and Elliott Key, according to the National Park Service.

All natural and tidal creeks between those islands and the mainland are included. Lobsters may be taken east of the barrier islands during legal seasons, and legally caught lobsters can be transported through the sanctuary. But no one from the boat may be in the water while inside the boundary.

Five Coral Reef Protection Areas within Biscayne National Park are also permanently closed to all lobster harvest, the FWC states.

Licensing, measuring and handling rules anglers must follow on the water

Every lobster angler needs a valid Florida recreational saltwater fishing license and a separate spiny lobster permit, available at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com. The carapace (the body shell above the tail) must measure more than 3 inches, measured in the water, and anglers must carry a measuring device. Lobsters must come back to land whole. Egg-bearing females must be released, and no device that punctures, penetrates or crushes the shell may be used. Recreational traps are also prohibited.

Night diving is banned in Monroe County during the miniseason but is permitted in Biscayne Bay waters outside the Keys.

Federal and state agencies will patrol both days of the miniseason

The FWC, U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies will patrol during the miniseason, checking safety equipment and inspecting catches, the Miami Herald reported. Past miniseasons have seen drownings, boats striking swimmers and vessel crashes, according to the Herald.

The Coast Guard advises boaters to shut engines off completely when divers or swimmers are in the water, check navigation lights before launching, wear life jackets, attach the engine kill-switch link while underway and avoid alcohol.

Divers in open water must stay within 300 feet of a properly displayed diver-down flag. Boat operators must slow to idle speed within that distance.