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