Joe Banka slips a live shrimp on a hook and tosses his rig into the brownish waters off the Fort Myers Beach pier.

Today he's fishing for just about anything, but the Punta Gorda resident certainly wouldn't mind catching a nice sheepshead, a popular coastal gamefish, for dinner.

Banka is one of many anglers who look forward to catching a "mess" of sheepshead during the winter and having a fish fry or filling the freezer with white, flaky meat.

But this year the sheepshead fishing may not be so good, at least for people want to stock up on a day's limit of 15.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is considering lowering that limit to five per day per licensed angler and will discuss the proposal at Monday's commission meeting in Orlando.

"It's not right," Banka says while adjusting his is baseball cap, which sports the image of a spotted sea trout. "I don't know why they are changing it. It doesn't make any sense."

You may not have heard about sheepshead, but this species has typically been found in plentiful numbers throughout coastal state waters.

They're not as glamorous as snook, redfish or tarpon, but plenty of anglers target them in the winter and don't mind catching the occasional sheepshead in the summer.

State biologists, though, say the sheepshead may be more popular than previously thought.

"Recently, stakeholders have expressed concern for a variety of inshore marine fish that generally receive less attention than premier fisheries such as red drum and snook," the FWC staff presentation reads. "Because of stakeholder concerns raised for sheepshead and tripletail, staff reviewed the available data for these species statewide and began actively gathering public input on these fisheries."

FWC staff will make its presentation Monday, after which commissioners will give direction on how to proceed with the regulation. A second vote would be needed later this year to make the proposed daily limit of five a law.

Tripletail, the other species the state is reviewing, could also face new regulations at the meeting.

One recommendation for this species is to raise the minimum length for a legally harvested tripletail from 15 inches to 18 or even 19 inches.

Surveys show sheepshead populations are relatively stable and that the species is not being overfished.

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The problem is people target them when large breeders congregate to spawn, although the proposal would curtail sheephead harvest during the entire year.

"They are concerned that this practice (targeting spawning fish), combined with the relatively high bag limit and lack of a commercial trip limit, is unsustainable," the FWC report reads. "There was also strong support for reducing the bag limit from both harvesters that expressed concern for the fishery and those that believe the fishery is doing well."

Anglers aren't alone in their angst at the proposed action.

Dave Westra, owner of Lehr's Economy Tackle in North Fort Myers, said he doesn't think changes are needed to keep the fishery safe and healthy.

"I’m not against a reasonable limit," Westra said. "But everybody seems to be relatively happy with the way it is now. Going from 15 to five seems rather drastic. Does that mean the sheepshead are in dire straits and have been overfished? Here, I don’t believe it."

The state has placed relatively strict limits on the most popular coastal gamefish in order to protect the species and the valuable recreational and fishing guide industry.

Snook fishing is limited to one fish per licensed angler per day during certain months, while the daily limit for the equally prized redfish is one between 18 and 27 inches in South Florida.

Tarpon are typically released and are only targeted for their beastly fighting abilities.

The sheepshead is comparably humble, but it's still an important part of fishing and culture here.

CHAD GILLIS

"We look forward to that," Banka said of the winter and spring spawn fishing. "A lot of guys do, and you can catch enough to have a fish fry. I think it's going to change the way some people fish."

He said he fears the regulations, if adopted, could have negative repercussions. Banka thinks people will take the law into their own hands by hiding their catches and keeping 15 regardless of any regulatory changes.

"They're going to catch the limit, put it in the car and come back and do it that way, and that's not right," Banka said. "But they will because they've been used to catching a certain amount every year."

Connect with this reporter: Chad Gillis on Twitter.

Sheepshead facts

— They're silvery in color with five or six vertical black bands on the side. They have prominent incisors that look almost like human teeth.

— Sheepshead feed on barnacles, shellfish and shrimp, crushing the critters with grinder-like teeth molars.

— They're an inshore species found around seawalls, docks, oyster bars, bridges and in tidal creeks.

— Sheepshead spawn near the coast in late winter and early spring, gathering over hard bottom areas, debris, artificial reefs and navigation markers.

— Most sheepshead landed by anglers weigh between 1 and 5 pounds.

— The Florida record is 15 pounds, 2 ounces and was caught in January 1981 by Eugene Lechler of Homossassa.

— Sheepshead are only found on the eastern coasts of North and South America, roughly from the Canadian border south to Brazil and do not inhabit the Bahamas, West Indies, Grenada or Bermuda.

— The largest population density of sheepshead is found in Southwest Florida.

Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Museum of Natural History.