By Bob Wattendorf, Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
We Floridians take our fishing seriously. The proof lies in the actions anglers take to ensure a bright fishing future. Between April 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009, 695 active Florida anglers took a pledge to introduce fishing each year to at least one person who had not [...]
Anglers from across the state are helping biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and the Mote Marine Laboratory gather valuable information about tarpon. Results from the Tarpon Genetic Recapture Study yield new insight into how tarpon can survive catch-and-release angling and how tarpon move throughout Florida [...]
A new online Boating and Angling Guide to Tampa Bay, designed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, is now available on the Internet. The FWRI created the new guide in response to requests from the public to provide boating and angling information in an interactive, user-friendly format.
Funded [...]
FWC - The highly anticipated sinking of the world’s second-largest ex-military ship to be deployed as an artificial diving and fishing reef is almost here. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) continues to work with its project partners on final preparations for the ex-U.S.S. Hoyt Vandenberg to be safely sunk in late [...]
By Bob Wattendorf
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
“Be it resolved that the Governor and Cabinet of the State of Florida do hereby recognize the Get Outdoors Florida! coalition and the Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights and encourage all Floridians and their families’ participation in outdoor activities throughout the year.”
With those words, Gov. Charlie Crist and his [...]
FT. LAUDERDALE - Women of all angling abilities are invited to acquire or fine-tune fishing skills at the award winning “Ladies, Let’s Go Fishing!”® seminars, June 26-28 at Pirates Cove Resort & Marina - Stuart, FL. Held in conjunction with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and presented by Mercury [...]
Galloway, NJ - In what can best be described as a “pay to play” version of fisheries management, the Texas-based conservation group, Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), has gone on record with a new socialized approach to managing the nation’s coastal fisheries, whereby access to the resource is offered to the highest bidder. According to [...]
FWC - The recreational harvest season for snook will close beginning May 1 in all of Florida’s Gulf of Mexico, Everglades National Park and Monroe County coastal and inland waters. The harvest season for snook will remain closed until Sept. 1 in these areas.
Seasonal harvest closures protect Florida’s valuable snook populations and help sustain and [...]
FWC - The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) proposed on Thursday to change the recreational harvest season for red snapper in Gulf of Mexico state waters. This action is in response to new data that indicates the Gulf red snapper fishing season needs to be shortened to compensate for overharvests in 2008.
The [...]
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) on Thursday proposed new rules for the recreational and commercial harvest of grouper in Gulf of Mexico state waters. The proposed rules follow up on interim measures taken earlier this year and will generally match state grouper rules with pending federal regulations. The goal of [...]