Florida Marine Fisheries Seeks Angler Input, Steinhatchee, July 20, 2015

Do you have ideas about how Florida’s marine fisheries should be managed? The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) wants to hear from you. Whether you are a seafood aficionado who wants priority placed on getting fish to the dinner plate, a recreational fisher who prefers to catch and release or a commercial fisher …

Bay Scallop Abundance Survey Results, June 21, 2015

The “Bay Scallop Abundance Survey” results from Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is always wildly-anticipated by folks hoping to catch their limit of these tasty bivalves during the summer harvest.  The 2015 season begins on June 27 and ends on September 25.  There’s plenty of information about the “how-to” of gathering your own …

Marine Fisheries Management Workshop, Steinhatchee, July 16, 2015

Steinhatchee – Steinhatchee Community Center, 1013 Riverside Drive Do you have ideas about how Florida’s marine fisheries should be managed? The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) wants to hear from you. Whether you are a seafood aficionado who wants priority placed on getting fish to the dinner plate or a recreational fisher who prefers …

Gulf Red Grouper 4-Fish Bag Limit Effective 1/1/15

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved changing the Gulf red grouper daily bag limit from 4-fish to 2-fish within the 4-grouper aggregate bag limit at the November 2014 meeting. This change is pending until similar regulations take place in Gulf federal waters and is not expected to occur until sometime in Spring 2015. …

Put on a Sweater–and Paddle the Big Bend Saltwater Trail!

The weather’s cooling down, so it’s time to head to the coast and do some paddling.   Sea kayakers have long known of the multi-day expedition possibilities along Florida’s Big Bend Gulf Coast. The area boasts one of the longest and wildest publicly-owned coastal wetlands in the United States, and a striking array of bird …

Seatrout Anglers! Don’t Fergit Yer Measurin’ Stick!

There are millions (probably billions!) of seatrout in our local rivers and creeks right now.  But while some are of the “keeper” variety, many are small.  And ever since the late Capt. Paul Cronk had his photo published in the Gainesville Sun with President Carter and what seemed to be a short trout,  Capt. Rick …

Florida Removes Venting Tool Requirement for Reef Fishes

Soon Florida anglers will no longer be required to have and use a venting tool when fishing for reef fish in Gulf of Mexico state waters. During its Nov. 21 meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) removed the requirement in Gulf state waters, making state regulations consistent with rules in federal waters. …

Florida’s Black Bass Management Plan

Bass fishing is a “big deal” in Florida, especially in our north central region.  Of 2.8 million anglers fishing in Florida, 1.9 million were residents and 0.9 million were tourists from virtually every state and numerous countries. Anglers averaged 17.2 days per year fishing in Florida, for a total of 46.3 million days of quality …