Florida Freshwater Fisheries--Privacy Policy

Division of Freshwater Fisheries Management,
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

MISSION STATEMENT:

To manage, enhance and preserve Florida’s Freshwater Aquatic Life for public benefit.

OBJECTIVE:

To provide “Optimum-Sustained Use” of these resources.

Further Explanation:

The Division of Freshwater Fisheries Management’s overall mission is “To Manage, Enhance and Preserve Florida’s Freshwater Aquatic Life for Public Benefit.” Our day to day objective is “to provide optimum-sustained use” of these resources. People used to talk about maximum-sustained yield, but this new objective is distinctly different. First, "optimum" means different things to different people as opposed to maximum, which in the old philosophy implied harvest as much as you can. Now we try to find out what the public wants from the resource and provide it to them in appropriate locations. For instance, in some places people may want a trophy bass fishery-even if all the fish have to be released. In others, they may be more interested in a bream and catfish fishery that provides lots of fish to take home for dinner. The term “sustained” is critical, in that we manage the resource not only for current optimization but always with an eye to the future so that we can sustain the resource over the long haul for future generations. “Use” is also distinctly different than “yield,” because it recognizes other values than just harvest, for instance catch-and-release, and the importance of aquatic habitats to land owners, boaters and others. An objective of "optimum-sustained use" demonstrates our commitment to the stewardship ethic and to a marketing approach to conservation management that recognizes the role of our customers (our citizens and visitors) in determining what optimum is, then allows our scientists to manage based on the best available research information.

Want to play around with writing your own mission and goal for the Division, try this: Word Magnet Game

Take Me Fishing.org is a great general information site for recreational anglers and boaters.

Florida Fishing Capital of the World--Great Resources, Responsible Management