THE FISHING FINALE? Captains catch 'em while they can (UPDATED with MONDAY FISHING ADVISORY and PHOTOS)

With oil creeping closer, area captains are taking advantage of what might be the last days of fishing on the Gulf of Mexico for a while.

Capt. Neill Finkel, who’s been fishing for three decades out of Destin, took his family out Thursday as reports were coming in of oil being spotted less than 10 miles off Navarre.

“I wanted to make sure my kids got a chance to fish this year,” said Finkel, who captains the charter boat Shock’N Yall out of Fishing Fleet Marina. “When they say it’s eight miles off Navarre … that’s a scary thought.”

He along with his wife, three daughters and their two friends hauled in a rack full of red snapper, grouper and a couple of king mackerel. The scene repeated itself up and down on the docks as captains took advantage of the old adage, “catch ‘em, while you can.”

The lines of closure draw closer every day. However, as of Friday morning, state waters off Destin remain open as well though federal waters south of Destin were closed.

To see the latest fishery closure that brings the line to Destin, click here.

To see the catches of the day on Thursday, click here.

For Wednesday's fish, click here.

To read about a Destin captain's disturbing find Wednesday, click here.

On Wednesday U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke declared an official “fisheries failure” for Florida that joins Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama in eligibility for federal grants, low interest loans and other assistance to businesses ravaged since the April 20 explosion and ongoing oil spill from the British Petroleum oil rig Deepwater Horizon.

 “My stuff is paid for, but I’m still paying slip rent,” Finkel said. “But it doesn’t matter if it (the boat) moves, I still have to do maintenance on it.”

Finkel said the captains he is concerned about are the ones with payments to make on their vessels.

“I don’t know how they are going to make it,” he said.

Capt. John Tenore of the Dawn Patrol was waiting Thursday on BP to see if one of his two boats at East Pass Marina would be placed under contract as a Vessel of Opportunity. Such vessels maintain booms and track the parameters of the oil spill.

 “It’s definitely a sad situation … and a lot of anxiety out there,” Tenore said. “But we’ve been busy believe it or not. But I don’t now if it’s people wanting to get in that last trip … I just don’t know.”

Frances Montalvo who runs the booking booth at HarborWalk Charters said Thursday evening that the majority of their charter boats have been activated by BP and were being called out to work, leaving only about seven boats open for fishing.

Capt. Jim Green on the New Florida Girl’s American Spirit party boat behind AJ’s Seafood and Oyster Bar is still fishing.

“We’re taking it day by day, and trying to be positive until they tell us we can’t go fishing,” Green said.

Fishing advisory issued for Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) advises anglers and boaters in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties in Northwest Florida that oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill could soon reach coastal waters of these counties. Oil spill trajectory projections formulated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) indicate that these areas could experience some amount of oiling in the next 72 hours, but these projections carry a degree of uncertainty.

In addition to the NOAA projections, the FWC is conducting airborne and waterborne surveillance to definitively establish the presence and extent of oil, to guide management actions. In the interim, the FWC cautions people to avoid any oil they might encounter on the water while fishing or boating.

The FWC, along with partnering agencies and fishery stakeholders, is keeping a close watch on coastal waters in Northwest Florida and is prepared to prohibit the harvest of fish if oil has contaminated the water to the point where it is not safe to consume fish.  The FWC will decide whether to close a specific area to the harvest of fish based on a visual assessment that confirms a significant amount of oil on the surface of the water.

If a closure is necessary, it will be as small as possible and would prohibit all commercial and recreational harvest and possession of fish within clear and describable boundaries.  Catch-and-release fishing would still be allowed in a closed harvest area.

Closed harvesting areas will reopen as soon as possible, but only after an official determination is made that the consumption of fish from those waters is safe.  Any consideration of shellfish closures would be coordinated closely with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

It is also important to note that oil has not affected most of Florida, and there are still vast areas open to fishing and other recreational opportunities. The FWC encourages everyone to go fishing where the waters are clear and to enjoy freshly harvested Florida seafood products.

Updated information regarding fishing advisories or harvest closures in Florida due to the BP oil spill will be posted online at MyFWC.com/OilSpill.