Saving Seafood

FLORIDA: TDC adopts message to counter possible scallop season suspension

May 12, 2016 — The Gulf County Tourist Development Council Advisory Committee adopted a rapid response plan during its regular meeting last week to address the possibility the 2016 scallop season will be cancelled by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

A final decision on the season will be made by the FWC, which intends to hold local public workshops this month and next, in June.

The Board of County Commissioners last week passed a resolution sent to the FWC suggesting alternatives to cancellation, such as size limits, smaller bag counts or a shorter season.

Jennifer Jenkins, TDC executive director, confirmed that FWC officials would conduct their regular scallop surveys of the bay in June and present those findings at an FWC meeting June 22-23, after which a decision would be made.

Currently, scallop season is set to open Saturday, June 25.

Read the full story at The Star

Florida Red Snapper Season Now Open on Gulf Coast Weekends

May 11, 2016 — At its April 13 meeting in Jupiter, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) set the 2016 recreational red snapper season in Gulf of Mexico state waters.

The 2016 season is open Saturdays and Sundays in May starting May 7. On May 28, the season will open continuously through July 10. Finally, the season will reopen for Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in September and October, and on Labor Day.

This would provide for a 78-day season in Gulf state waters. This season will help maintain fishing opportunities for recreational anglers in state waters and provide additional May and fall weekend fishing days.

Read the full story at The Fishing Wire

FLORIDA: Gulf County scallop season could be shut down this season

April 28, 2016 — GULF COUNTY, Fla. — Scalloping is a major part of the tourism economy in Gulf County, but this year they may have to do without.

The culprit is red tide. Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission say in the 18 years they’ve been monitoring scallops, they’ve never had to cancel the season. This year it’s looking like it may come to that.

“Most people like doing it because it’s an underwater Easter egg hunt and it’s just a great way to spend the day,” said Local Dusty May.

On Wednesday, the FWC held a meeting to discuss whether to cancel the scalloping season all together.

“Bay scallops were negatively impacted by the red tide that came last year,” said Amanda Nalley, Spokesperson for FWC. “It did come during a time that was very important to scallops. It was during the spawning season and when larva was in the water, so that is why the scallop population was affected.”

Read the full story at NBC Gulf County

FLORIDA: Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission could close scallops in St. Joe Bay for 2 years

April 27, 2016 — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is considering closing scallop season for two years. The issue will be discussed at a meeting tonight.

“Scientific monitoring of bay scallops in St. Joseph Bay indicates that the bay scallop population has declined severely due to impacts of red tide. As a result, the bay scallop population is too low to sustain and recover from an open season for scalloping this summer,” officials wrote in a news release. “To help ensure the bay scallop population can recover as quickly as possible, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is making arrangements to cancel the 2016 harvest season in state waters west of St. Vincent Island including St. Joseph Bay.”

Read the full story at myPanhandle.com

Lobster Poachers Caught and Vessel Forfeited in Biscayne National Park

April 25, 2016 — Biscayne National Park and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officers conducted a safety and marine fisheries inspection on the commercial fishing vessel “El Donny.” The inspection ultimately resulted in filed charges, a plea agreement and sentencing.

During the inspection officers observed a lobster shell inside a crab trap, although the boat owner indicated that no lobsters were on the vessel. While inspecting the engine room, an officer noticed a white plastic bag hidden behind some engine equipment. This bag, along with four others that were discovered, included a total of 87 wrung lobster tails, 66 of which were undersized.

Read the full story at the South Dade News Leader

Lionfish Removal Effort Ramps Up: Florida Incentivizes Anglers to Help Target Invasive Species

April 22, 2016 — They’re the beauties with the beastly reputation—one so unwelcome that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has launched a new incentive program aimed at their eradication.

We’re talking about lionfish, those ornately designed invasives of aquarium origin that have overrun reefs throughout Florida’s coast. Exploding in numbers, lions compete with native species and upset local ecosystems.

You’d think that all the grouper, sharks, and barracuda would appreciate the additional forage, but lionfish pack a set of poisonous spines that warn would-be diners to back off.

So, that leaves humans to handle the task of eradicating these fish, or at least controlling their numbers. And that’s the idea behind the FWC’s 2016 lionfish removal program highlighted by a Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day on May 16.

Read the full story at Outdoor Life

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Approves Lionfish Removal Efforts

April 14, 2016 — At its April 13 meeting in Jupiter, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved a two-part lionfish plan to further encourage removals of the invasive species in 2016.

Lionfish have a potential negative impact on native wildlife and habitat and the FWC encourages divers and anglers to remove them from Florida waters whenever they can.

The two-part initiative will include a statewide reward program that will expand upon 2015 efforts and a Panhandle Pilot Program.

“Innovative programs like these are a great way to generate public involvement and interest in controlling the lionfish population,” said FWC Chairman Brian Yablonski. “Those that remove lionfish not only get rewarded for their efforts, but they also get the experience of helping manage Florida’s fisheries. In addition, involving Florida’s residents and visitors helps us gather better data to continuously evaluate and improve our approach to invasive species control.”

See the full story at The Fishing Wire

Florida Gulf Red Snapper Season Set

April 14, 2016 — At its April 13 meeting in Jupiter, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) set the 2016 recreational red snapper season in Gulf of Mexico state waters.

The 2016 season will open Saturdays and Sundays in May starting May 7. On May 28, the season will open continuously through July 10. Finally, the season will reopen for Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in September and October, and on Labor Day. This would provide for a 78-day season in Gulf state waters.

This season will help maintain fishing opportunities for recreational anglers in state waters and provide additional May and fall weekend fishing days.

See the full story at The Fishing Wire

Study measures drag from fishing gear entanglements on North Atlantic right whales

December 9, 2015 — Entanglement in fishing gear is the leading cause of death for North Atlantic right whales—one of the most endangered of all the large whale species. Their migratory routes take them through some of the busiest commercial fishing areas along the East Coast of the United States and into Canada.

Entangled whales can tow fishing gear for tens to hundreds of miles over months or even years, before either being freed, shedding the gear on their own, or succumbing to their injuries.

In a paper published online Dec. 9, 2015, in Marine Mammal Science, a research team led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), has for the first time quantified the amount of drag on entangled whales that is created by towing fishing gear, such as rope, buoys, and lobster and crab traps. The study provides important data for teams evaluating the risks and benefits of whale disentanglements.

“We know that entanglement can change a whale’s diving and swimming behavior and depletes their energy,” said Julie van der Hoop, lead author of the paper and a PhD Candidate in the MIT-WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography, “but the big thing we have never really known is what it must be like for animals to tow the gear. Is it like wearing an empty backpack or is that backpack overloaded with heavy books? Does removing part of the gear improve chances of survival? These are some of the questions that we were looking to answer with this research.”

Read the full story from Phys.org