Florida Public Input Requested at Oct. 11 Gulf of Mexico Gag Grouper Workshop
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will host a workshop next week to gather public input on Gulf of Mexico gag grouper. The workshop focus will be determining the public’s preferred dates for the 2013 Gulf gag grouper recreational fishing season. Potential changes to the Gulf of Mexico gag grouper bag limit will also be discussed.
The workshop is from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 11 at the Perry City Council Meeting Room, 224 S. Jefferson St., in Perry.
This workshop is a first step in determining the 2013 federal and state Gulf gag grouper recreational season.
For information on public workshops, call 850-487-0554 or visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater Fishing” then “Public Meetings for Rulemaking.”
The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission came into existence on July 1, 1999 - the result of a constitutional amendment approved in the 1998 General Election as part of the package proposed by the Constitution Revision Commission.
In the implementation of the Constitutional Amendment, the Florida Legislature combined all of the staff and Commissioners of the former Marine Fisheries Commission, elements of the Divisions of Marine Resources and Law Enforcement of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and all of the employees and Commissioners of the former Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission.
Five years later, after consulting stakeholders, employees and other interested parties, the FWC adopted a new internal structure to address complex conservation issues of the new century. The new structure focuses on programs, such as habitat management, that affect numerous species. It will focus on moving the decision-making process closer to the public and did not require any additional funding or additional positions.
