Saving Seafood

Florida: Red tide creeps up to Melbourne Beach, Indialantic

October 17, 2018 — INDIALANTIC, Fla. — While test results to prove red tide are pending, the itchy throats and rancid fish carcasses on the beach this week have some already convinced, and fearing a repeat of the toxic tides that thoroughly flogged the Space Coast 16 years ago.

For tourists, another red tide now would be lousy timing. For fish, too.

“Right now we’ve got a big mullet run on the beach, so there are a lot of migratory fish following the mullet runs,” said Jon Shenker, associate professor of marine biology at the Florida Institute of Technology. “I have no idea how bad this is.”

Beachgoers and beachside residents have complained in recent days of coughing and irritated throats after being by the ocean. Dead fish reported in Indialantic and Melbourne Beach on Tuesday included bluefish, Spanish mackerel, mullet and other fish. A dead fish dotted the shoreline every 10 feet or so at Paradise Beach Park.

Brevard County is helping Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission gather water samples to test for the red tide organism, Karenia brevis. The algae releases a neurotoxin that can cause asthma-like symptoms. If ingested, it can cause digestive problems. Brevard County Natural Resources has coordinated with FWC for sampling beginning Tuesday and hopes to know the results on Wednesday.

“In the meantime, we have been monitoring conditions and have reached out to various agencies, such as Keep Brevard Beautiful, Tourism and Development, the city of Cocoa Beach, to plan for a coordinated response if and when we have reported fish kills,” Brevard County spokesman Don Walker said via email.

Read the full story at Florida Today

 

Florida to boost redfish hatcheries amid red tide epidemic

September 19, 2018 — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is getting an additional $1.2 million to enhance research and increase production of redfish in Port Manatee, the state announced Monday.

The new funding should help recover Florida’s fisheries from the ongoing red tide sweeping Florida’s Gulf coast and wreaking havoc on Pinellas, Sarasota and Manatee County beaches.

Florida’s commercial fisheries generate $17.7 billion of sales and support nearly 93,000 jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s 2015 Fisheries Economics of the United States.

In addition, recreational fishing has an $8 billion economic impact in Florida and supports nearly 115,000 jobs, according to a National Marine Fisheries Service report last year.

“Florida is the ‘Fishing Capital of the World,’ ” FWC Executive Director Eric Sutton said. “Not only are our fisheries robust, but they are also incredibly resilient to the impacts of natural events, like red tide.”

Read the full story at Florida Politics

 

Red Tide: Is Florida seafood safe to eat?

September 13, 2018 — The major red tide algae bloom along the Gulf Coast is certainly smelly, and at worst may have negative health effects in exposed humans.

But what about locally-caught seafood? What’s safe to eat right now? With customers staying away from beachside resorts and restaurants en masse, diners may be equating the fish on their plates to the dead fish on shore.

However, most commercial gulf species, including snapper and grouper, are caught 20 miles out from the shore, meaning they are not at all impacted by the red tide.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, it is safe to eat local finfish as long as the fish are filleted before eaten. Although toxins may accumulate in the guts of fish, these areas are discarded when fish is filleted.

Read the full story at the Tampa Bay Times

FLORIDA: Scallop survey shows rebounding population

August 17, 2018 — The extra TLC the past two years would appear to be reaping dividends.

A project begun in 2016 to restore the scallop population in St. Joseph Bay has found purchase based on the results of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s adult population survey.

The survey results, posted Tuesday, show that the current population is nearly four-times that of last year and nearly twice the mean of the past six years.

Scallop harvest season in St. Joseph Bay begins Friday and continues through Sept. 30, the latest starting, and longest by days, scallop harvest season in Florida.

During this year’s survey, which was more extensive than typical due to the late start of the season, researchers found 8.1 scallops per square meter, approximately 1.2 square yards.

That is more than three times the density found during last year’s survey and eight times higher than two years ago, when the population was deemed “collapsed,” with less than one scallop per square meter.

The population remains “vulnerable,” the FWC category for adult populations of between two and 20 scallops per square meter.

Read the full story at The Port St. Joe Star

FLORIDA: Scallop season scheduled for next week

August 10, 2018 — There is certain hesitancy about pronouncing the start of scallop harvest season in St. Joseph Bay.

After all, nothing about the past two seasons as been on schedule.

Nevertheless, the 2018 scallop harvest season in St. Joseph Bay is scheduled to open Aug. 17, next Friday, with the potential for the first full season in three years.

If indeed a full season is realized, it will come to a close Sept. 30.

Gulf County’s season in the last to open in Florida as the state moved to region-specific seasons this year.

Researchers have yet to complete and post the numbers from the annual survey of the scallop population in St. Joseph Bay.

The numbers, a researcher with Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission should be posted on the FWC website before the end of the week.

But, there was a hint of positive vibes for the season this past weekend during a “scallop rodeo.”

Last Saturday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission invited those interested to participate in a collection of scallops as a continuation of restoration efforts that began three years ago.

Read the full story at The Port St. Joe Star

FLORIDA: Gov. Scott Announces First Pasco County Scallop Season in More Than 20 Years

July 17, 2018 — Today, Governor Scott announced that for the first time since 1994, state waters off Pasco County will be open to bay scallop harvest during a 10-day season from July 20-29. The region includes all state waters south of the Hernando–Pasco county line and north of the Anclote Key Lighthouse in northern Pinellas County, and includes all waters of the Anclote River.

Governor Scott said, “I’m proud to announce that for the first time in more than 20 years, families in Pasco County will be able to enjoy a scallop season. Scalloping is one of the best ways to experience the Sunshine State’s incredible natural areas and I encourage residents and visitors to take advantage of this exciting opportunity.”

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Chairman Bo Rivard said, “Scalloping with your friends and family is classic Florida fun in the sun. The season brings people and an economic boost to these coastal areas, all the while encouraging conservation and connecting residents and visitors to the wonders of Florida’s outdoors.”

Read the full story at the Florida Trend

Biologists and volunteers work to increase scallop population

July 17, 2018 — A ten year restoration program that aims to protect scallops and increase their population has kicked off in Panama City.

Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Research Institute gathered Sunday to start building cages for the project, that will soon be filled with scallops.

According to Emily Hardin with the FWC, groups of volunteers will be collecting the scallops and putting them in the cages to keep them safe from predators and to give them a better chance of reproducing.

“We don’t want the scallops to be eaten by any predators so we’re putting them inside the cage to help with that, but also, scallops will broadcast spawn. They’re going to release all of their egg and sperm into the water column and so if they’re close together, there’s a higher chance that everything’s going to come together just like it should and we’ll have a lot of baby scallops growing up in the bay,” Hardin said.

Hardin says the scallop populations have been declining for years because of over-harvesting, weather conditions and red tide.

Read the full story at WJHG

FLORIDA: FWC Builds Cages to Save Scallop Population

July 16, 2018 — Scallop populations are diminishing in St. Andrews and St. Joseph’s Bay. Over the past few years scientists have noticed a decline in reproduction. To solve the issue of a scallop shortage, scientists have gotten creative.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and volunteers, spent the day making around 100 scallop cages. Emily Hardin, the FWC Volunteer Coordinator says she’s proud of her community. “It’s just really inspiring to see the community coming together to help with this scallop restoration project.”

A total of 6 organizations are involved with this project. The FWC, UF/IFAS Extension Bay County, UF/IFAS Extension Gulf County, Bay County Board of Commissioners, St. Andrews Bay Watch Resource Management Association, and Florida Sea Grant.

The cages are part of a 10 year scallop restoration program across the entire panhandle. It is funded through a Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA) Grant.

The decrease in scallop population could be due to over harvesting, red tide events, weather changes. A mix of events.

Lix Pudlak and FWC Biologist and outreach coordinator explained how the cages work. “The cage kind of acts as a barrier from predators so it’ll help protect them from being eaten and stuff like that. And since they’re in such close proximity to each other it should increase, I guess, success of reproduction.”

Read the full story at MyPanhandle.com

FLORIDA: Shark fishing workshops, red snapper announcement coming soon

July 9, 2018 — In April, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission bridged a controversial topic among Florida’s millions of beachgoers and anglers — shore-based shark fishing. Emotional public comment presented by more than 25 speakers convinced the 7-member governor-appointed volunteer commission to request FWC staff to develop more comprehensive regulations to address shore-based shark fishing from the Sunshine State’s more than 2,000 miles of beaches.

That day in April, no one logged any comment in support of shore-based shark fishing. And I warned you all, if you don’t show up, your voice will not be heard.

Now, the FWC has announced a series of public workshops around the state beginning next week to further address the practice as a step in the process towards developing regulations aimed at conserving sharks better and protecting beachgoers, too.

The problem, according to recommendations provided to the FWC by David Shiffman (@WhySharksMatter on Twitter), noted shark researcher at Simon Fraser University and marine conservation biologist and science writer, is several species commonly caught from the beach do not survive the fight very well, and if they do, they may not survive the photo session or release.

“Two of the top ways that angling stress kills fish are long fight times which exhaust the fish and air exposure,” Shiffman wrote in recommendations he provided to FWC — “Promoting Conservation-Friendly Shark Handling Practices in the Fishing Capital of the World: A Science-Based Proposal to Revise Florida’s Land-Based Shark Fishing Regulations.”

Read the full story at Treasure Coast News

Coast Guard busts Keys fishing vessel with shark fins

June 20, 2018 — A Coast Guard crew from Station Islamorada stopped a commercial fishing vessel in the Upper Keys Tuesday morning that was loaded with dismembered sharks and 11 fins.

Federal law has prohibited the practice of shark finning — where the fin is cut off the shark and the rest of the body discarded — since 2000.

The 40-foot vessel, the Miss Shell, was stopped near South Sound Creek, which is near John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo, said Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Murray. The initial stop was for improper display of navigational lights, according to a Coast Guard press release.

Crew from a Coast Guard patrol boat, which included an officer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, boarded the Miss Shell and found the fins and shark carcasses.

The National Marine Fisheries Service, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has taken over the investigation into the case. There is no immediate information about arrests.

Read the full story at the Florida Keys News