Conforming to less-restrictive federal rules that went into effect in August, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission decided Thursday that commercial fishermen can catch and sell three swordfish per vessel, per trip, within the three-mile distance from shore that Florida governs.

That matches the new rules adopted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for federal waters, which begin at the three-mile boundary and extend to about 200 miles east of Florida’s shore.

“It brings it in line with the federal regulations,” said Fionna Matheson, NOAA spokeswoman. “As far as we know, at this point, they [Florida] are the only state to have done that formally.”

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