Saving Seafood

FLORIDA: Lionfish populations are down. But experts aren’t sure why or how long it might last

February 20, 2020 — Lionfish populations seem to be down at frequently fished reefs statewide, but experts aren’t quite sure why or how long the decline might last.

Earlier this month, scientists reported that a disease that creates open sores on invasive lionfish collected in the northern Gulf of Mexico may have contributed to a recent population decline.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is unsure of whether the apparent population decrease can be attributed to the disease, mitigation efforts, a natural ebb and flow of invasive species populations or a combination of those factors.

“What we do know is people are seeing them less and less on frequently visited reefs right now, and we do know they’re still in deep waters,” said Amanda Nalley, public information specialist for FWC. “It’s kind of one of those things, it’s fun to talk about, but there’s a lot of caveats and a lot we don’t know.”

Read the full story at the Pensacola News Journal

FLORIDA: FWC approves draft for changes to 2020 red snapper season

December 13, 2019 — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission approved draft proposals on Thursday to extend red snapper season and its authority to manage it.

Regarding the 2020 red snapper season, the commissioners were presented two options; June 11-July 25 and June 1-July 13.

In 2019, the Gulf red snapper season ran from June 1 to July 12.

The staff recommended the June 11-July 25 option because it will be a low risk of exceeding Florida’s quota for 2020, which is 1,913,451 lbs. That is slightly higher than 2018 and 2019 quotas.

“There’s a lot of varying opinions on what people want,” Amanda Nalley of Marine Fisheries Management said. “Some people want weekends only seasons, some people want seasons that start earlier, and we consider all of that.”

Read the full story at The Destin Log

FLORIDA: Scallops show signs of recovery; restoration effort to begin

October 23, 2017 — PORT ST.JOE, Florida — Scallops in the St. Joe Bay are showing signs of recovery based on anecdotal evidence from the short Gulf County season this year.

“We’re still in recovery, but we’re much improved over last year,” said Captain Phil Cox, who led several guided trips. “They were thick enough to keep people interested.”

Thick enough to keep scallopers interested is a big improvement over the 2016 season, when the devastating effects of a red tide shortened the season and made scallops hard to find. And while the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) doesn’t yet have hard data about this year’s recreational harvest, they also believe the situation has improved.

“We’ve had pretty consistent comments … the season went well,” FWC spokeswoman Amanda Nalley said. “Several people told us they met their bag limit.”

That’s not to say this year’s season didn’t have its own set of problems. A rare algae bloom, called pseudo-nitzschia, forced FWC to delay the start of the season for months. The algae, while not harmful to the scallops, can make them unsafe for consumption.

Read the full story at Panama City News Herald

FLORIDA: Bay scallop season begins Tuesday

July 20, 2017 — The waiting has been the hardest part.

One month after the first of the state’s zones were opened, 25 days after the second zone was opened, the bay scallop harvest season in St. Joseph Bay arrives Tuesday, July 25.

The season continues through Sept. 10.

Bag limits, constrained in 2016, return to the statewide limits and all other requirements reset to 2015.

Surveys conducted last month by researchers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission indicated the scallop population in St. Joseph Bay is on the rebound.

Researchers survey more than 12,000 square meters of the bay during the adult surveys, this year finding that counts were more than three times, in terms of density, what they had been in June 2016.

The number of stations where scallops were found also increased.

More critically, researchers were pleased with the spread and concentration of mollusks of such desire this time of year.

Of the four major areas surveyed by the FWC, St. Joseph was the only zone that realized an increase in the density of the adult population; three of the four saw an increase in the number of survey stations where scallops were present.

“They are doing good,” said the FWC’s Amanda Nalley in reference to the scallops of St. Joseph Bay. “They are not back yet, but they are improving.”

The zone’s boundaries are the west bank of the Mexico Beach Canal and the westernmost of waters of St. Vincent Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Read the full story at The Star