Tarpon and Bonefish Workshops and Webinar Planned for Beginning of April in Florida
Share your input on an proposal to make tarpon and bonefish catch-and-release-only fisheries by attending an upcoming workshop or webinar. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Division of Marine Fisheries Management is hosting three regional public workshops the first week of April and a statewide webinar on April 8 to gather input on this important issue.
The proposal, which will be discussed by the Commission as a draft rule at the April 17 meeting in Tallahassee, will include the following possible changes for tarpon and bonefish management in state and federal waters off Florida:
- Eliminating the tarpon bag limit and allowing the harvest and possession of a single tarpon in conjunction with a tarpon tag only when in pursuit of an IGFA record,
- Modifying the tarpon tag program, including reporting requirements and calendar year, and
- Discontinuing the bonefish tournament exemption permit that allows tournament anglers to temporarily possess bonefish for transport to a tournament scale.
All four public events will be from 6-8 p.m. EDT. Dates and locations of the workshops are:
- April 1: St. Petersburg at Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, 100 Eighth Ave. S.E.
- April 2: Dania Beach at IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum, 300 Gulf Stream Way
- April 3: Key Colony Beach at City Hall, Mile Marker 53.5, 600 W. Ocean Drive
To learn more or to attend the webinar and telephone conference call, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater,” “Rulemaking” and “Workshops.”
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.
