August 5, 2010

Contact: Henry Cabbage, 850-488-8843

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has temporarily extended the emergency closure of snook harvest and possession in Florida through Sept. 16. (Executive Order 10-39 PDF file)

This action will continue the prohibition on harvest and possession of snook in effect since Jan. 16. The FWC enacted the closure in response to possible effects of prolonged cold weather on the snook population last winter. Catch-and-release fishing for snook is still allowed under this extended closure.

"We took immediate action to prohibit harvest of snook as a proactive, precautionary response to the freeze. We want to make sure that if we reopen the fishery, we will be able to do it knowing the snook population is secure and will continue to rebound from the effects of that unprecedented cold snap," FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto said. "Snook is one of Florida's premier game fish species. Anglers expect us to manage them carefully, and we will."

The temporary extension will enable FWC Commissioners to hear a report by staff at their Sept. 1-3 meeting at Pensacola Beach. They will review the latest information on the status of the snook population, receive public input and determine whether to reopen the fall harvest season or continue to prohibit harvest and possession as a precautionary measure.

The extension of the snook closure will remain in effect until 12:01 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 17. The season normally would have opened on Sept. 1 statewide.

While the temporary harvest prohibition remains in effect, no person may harvest or possess snook in state or federal waters off Florida. The FWC may reopen the fishery, if warranted, before the order expires or, if necessary, the agency may extend the closure by issuing another executive order.

On Sept. 2, during the meeting in Pensacola Beach, Commissioners will hear a report on the extent of damage to the snook population and consider a range of management options covering the next 12 months.

Source: http://www.myfwc.com/NEWSROOM/10/statewide/News_10_X_SnookStillClosed3.htm

July 31, 2010
Contact: Henry Cabbage, 850-528-1755

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reopened state waters offshore of Escambia County to the harvest of saltwater fish, at 12:01 a.m. today, July 31.  The FWC had closed this area on June 14 as a precautionary measure due to possible impacts of oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

"This is great news for all Floridians and particularly our coastal communities, where fishing is such an important component of their economy and way of life," said Nick Wiley, executive director of the FWC.  "Reopening these Florida waters to fishing is a positive step forward in Florida's recovery from the BP oil spill.  We can all be confident that fish caught in Florida waters are healthy and great to eat."

The FWC is reopening this 23-mile area of state waters because careful laboratory analysis of fish from the area confirms they are safe and oil-free.  The sampling and laboratory analyses were conducted under the supervision of the United States Food and Drug Administration and NOAA.  They passed all standards for safe consumption.  Oil has not been observed in the closed area of state waters for some time and was being closely monitored by state officials using aerial over-flights and visual observations on the water.

The reopened area to the harvest of saltwater fish includes state waters from the beaches out 9 nautical miles into the Gulf from the Alabama line east to the Pensacola Beach water tower.  Oysters, clams and mussels were not included in the closure and remain open to harvest in this area.  The area will remain closed to the harvest of shrimp and crabs, pending additional testing.

More information on the FWC's response to the BP oil spill is available online at MyFWC.com/OilSpill.

Source: http://www.myfwc.com/NEWSROOM/10/statewide/News_10_X_OilSpill36.htm

July 28, 2010
Contact: Tim O'Neil, 850-212-5454

Florida seafood is fresh and delicious. Despite the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the majority of our state's waters are open to fishing. Florida continues to be, hands-down, the fishing capital of the world.

These are some of the important messages the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the Wildlife Foundation of Florida and Visit Florida will be promoting to a nationwide audience Friday evening. The FWC, the foundation and state tourism officials have pooled their resources to host an event that will be so huge, and so filled with prominent faces, VERSUS cable TV network will broadcast it live across the country.

Doors will swing open at 5 p.m. July 30 at the Grove Harbour Marina in Coconut Grove. FWC leadership and scientists will join fishing experts and world-renowned oceanographer Fabien Cousteau at a 5:30 p.m. press conference to unveil the state's new fishing promotion campaign. Then it's time for the live TV show, from 7-8 p.m.  The evening's festivities will conclude with a fresh Florida seafood cookout, the cuisine prepared on site by legendary chef Norman Van Aken, of "Norman's" restaurant in Orlando.

"Almost of Florida's waters are untouched and teeming with big, hungry fish and other seafood critters," event coordinator Tim O'Neil said. "Florida is like no other place on earth."

Source: http://www.myfwc.com/NEWSROOM/10/statewide/News_10_X_FishingShow2.htm

July 28, 2010
Contact: Tim O'Neil, 850-212-5454

Florida seafood is fresh and delicious. Despite the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the majority of our state's waters are open to fishing. Florida continues to be, hands-down, the fishing capital of the world.

These are some of the important messages the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the Wildlife Foundation of Florida and Visit Florida will be promoting to a nationwide audience Friday evening. The FWC, the foundation and state tourism officials have pooled their resources to host an event that will be so huge, and so filled with prominent faces, VERSUS cable TV network will broadcast it live across the country.

Doors will swing open at 5 p.m. July 30 at the Grove Harbour Marina in Coconut Grove. FWC leadership and scientists will join fishing experts and world-renowned oceanographer Fabien Cousteau at a 5:30 p.m. press conference to unveil the state's new fishing promotion campaign. Then it's time for the live TV show, from 7-8 p.m.  The evening's festivities will conclude with a fresh Florida seafood cookout, the cuisine prepared on site by legendary chef Norman Van Aken, of "Norman's" restaurant in Orlando.

"Almost of Florida's waters are untouched and teeming with big, hungry fish and other seafood critters," event coordinator Tim O'Neil said. "Florida is like no other place on earth."

Source: http://www.myfwc.com/NEWSROOM/10/statewide/News_10_X_FishingShow2.htm

July 23, 2010
Contact: Carli Segelson, 727-896-8626, ext. 2076

Researchers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute collected two juvenile red lionfish (Pterois volitans) last week from the Gulf of Mexico. With the exception of a probable aquarium release from the Tampa Bay area, the discovery of these lionfish marks the first time this nonnative species has been documented in Gulf waters north of the Tortugas and the Yucatan Peninsula.

FWC researchers found the lionfish in the catch from two separate net tows taken at distances of 99 and 160 miles off the southwest coast of Florida, north of the Dry Tortugas and west of Cape Romano. The specimens were taken from depths of 183 and 240 feet as part of a trawl survey funded by the Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program, a cooperative state and federal program.

FWC scientists believe the two juvenile lionfish, measuring approximately 2.5 inches in length, are either evidence of a spawning population on the Gulf of Mexico’s West Florida Shelf or they were transported to the area by ocean currents from other potential spawning areas, such as the waters off the Yucatan Peninsula. Either of these scenarios could indicate an expansion of the range of this species in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

Lionfish are nonnative, venomous fish that have been sighted in Atlantic coastal waters of the United States since the mid-1990s and have been reported more recently in the waters of the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas. Lionfish, specifically the red lionfish and the devil firefish, appear to have established populations in the western North Atlantic Ocean. These species are native to the reefs and rocky crevices of the Indo-Pacific, but were likely introduced into South Florida waters in 1992.

To report sightings of lionfish, call the nationwide reporting number (877-STOPANS) sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) or fill out an online report on the USGS website at http://nas.er.usgs.gov/sightingreport.asp.

For more information about lionfish, visit the USGS website.  Go to MyFWC.com/Nonnative to learn more about nonnative species in Florida.

Source: http://www.myfwc.com/NEWSROOM/10/statewide/News_10_X_Lionfish.htm