Florida FWC Fish Webinars Planned for Early December
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is hosting two webinars in December to gather public testimony and input on the potential creation of saltwater game fish and sport fish designations.
The online meetings are from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 10 and 12. To participate in a webinar, visit http://fwc.adobeconnect.com/mfm/ at the start of each meeting.
The designation issue will also be a topic of discussion at the Commission’s Dec. 5 meeting in Apalachicola.
Reasons for considering these changes include helping highlight and protect some of Florida’s premier recreational fish and encouraging anglers to practice voluntary conservation practices such as catch-and-release. If adopted, these changes could lead to healthier fish populations and help Florida market its unique fishing opportunities to residents and visitors.
Suggested parameters for game fish include no commercial harvest, possession or sale; fish could be targeted only with hook and line; and captain and crew of for-hire vessels such as charter boats would have a bag limit of zero and would not be allowed to take fish home for themselves.
The sport fish designation would offer a higher level of protection than game fish by making selected species catch-and-release only, including no recreational harvest as well as no commercial harvest, possession or sale. Sport fish could also be targeted by hook and line only.
If game fish and sport fish designations are approved, staff will return to future meetings with suggestions for potential fish species candidates.
To learn more about the webinar, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater Fishing,” “Rulemaking” and “Workshops.” For those without computers, voice-only access is available. For questions about webinar access, please contact Carly Canion at 850-617-9627 or Carly.Canion@MyFWC.com.
To learn more about the proposed changes, visit MyFWC.com/Commission, “Commission Meetings” and the Dec. 5-6 agenda.
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.
