“We want to know what business owners, property owners, anglers, hunters, bird watchers, airboaters and others who have a vested interest in the chain of lakes think,” said Ed Harris, FWC invasive plant management biologist. “Now is the time to get and stay involved.”

The goal of this meeting is to provide updates, answer questions and receive public input on current hydrilla management, herbicide monitoring reports, emergent habitat management status, snail kite nesting, submerged vegetation mapping and pondweed management on East Lake Tohopekaliga (called Toho for short).

Public input from the wide variety of user groups on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, which includes lakes Kissimmee, Hatchineha, Cypress, Jackson, Toho and East Lake Toho, is critical to create a well-balanced approach to managing hydrilla and other invasive aquatic plants.

“This is part of our ongoing process that will maintain a regular dialogue with stakeholders about aquatic plant management on the Kissimmee Chain. We hope everyone interested in aquatic plant management efforts will attend this meeting and provide input,” Harris said.

For more details about the meeting, contact Ed Harris at 407-858-6170.

A Palm Coast fisherman is facing numerous federal charges relating to taking saltwater fish during a recent outing with friends in the Atlantic Ocean off the Flagler County coast.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Officer Ben Boots cited Thuy Nguyen (DOB 05/06/67) of 45 Bruning Lane, Palm Coast, for possession of red snapper in federal waters (a prohibited species), possession of undersized gag grouper in federal waters, possession of black sea bass, gag grouper and vermilion snapper during closed season in federal waters, and failure to maintain fish in whole condition.

On Feb. 2, Boots was patrolling offshore when he spotted Nguyen’s 22-foot Seabird with several people aboard fishing approximately 16 miles east of the Matanzas Inlet. As the officer pulled up to the boat to conduct a boating safety and fisheries inspection, Nguyen, who owns and operates the 1976 vessel, started throwing fish overboard. Boots quickly pulled up behind the boat and used a net to retrieve all the fish Nguyen had discarded. There were five red snapper, one gag grouper, one black sea bass and one vermilion snapper.

After getting the fish onto his patrol boat, Boots pulled alongside Nguyen’s vessel and completed his inspections. Including the fish he pulled from the water, Boots found onboard Nguyen’s boat a total of 18 red snapper, four gag grouper, three vermilion snapper and two black sea bass. All were illegal to possess. There were six other people aboard the vessel, but nobody could remember who caught which fish, so Nguyen told Boots that since he was the captain and owner of the vessel he would take responsibility.

Nguyen will be prosecuted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of General Counsel – Enforcement Section. FWC officers are cross-deputized to enforce federal fish and wildlife laws as part of a joint enforcement agreement with NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement.

FWC aquatic plant managers will treat lakes Starke and Lawne with Aquathol™ and Galleon™, which have no restrictions for fishing, swimming, drinking or livestock consumption. There are no irrigation restrictions for Aquathol™, but some vegetation may be sensitive to Galleon™, so the FWC recommends that residents do not irrigate with Galleon™-treated water for at least 90 days.

They will also treat Lake Mann with Aquathol™ and Tradewind™, which have no restrictions for fishing, swimming or drinking. There is no restriction for irrigating turf with Tradewind™-treated water if bispyribac-sodium levels are low. The FWC recommends that lakefront residents do not use Tradewind™ -treated water to irrigate newly planted ornamental annuals or crops, or use to water livestock for at least 90 days.

Aquathol ™, Galleon™ and Tradewind™ are approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for use in lakes.

The FWC’s Invasive Plant Management Section will post notices at the lakes’ public boat ramps on the day of treatments and will remove the notices once the final treatments have been completed.

Hydrilla is an invasive, exotic aquatic plant spread easily by boats throughout the state’s lakes and rivers. It clogs waterways, making recreational activities difficult or impossible and chokes out beneficial native plants. Managing and treating it is necessary for the health of Florida’s waters and to enable continued recreational boating and other aquatic activities.

Anyone with concerns about herbicide levels or any other questions should call Alicia Knecht, FWC invasive plant management regional biologist, at 321-246-0682.

The treatment will be on about 1,150 acres on the north side of Lake Harris by Dead River.

The FWC’s Invasive Plant Management Section will treat the hydrilla with Aquathol K ™, which has no restrictions for fishing, swimming or irrigation. Aquathol is approved for use in lakes by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The FWC will post notification at the lake’s public boat ramps on the day of treatments and will remove notification once the treatments have been completed.

Hydrilla is an invasive, exotic aquatic plant spread easily by boats throughout the state’s lakes and rivers. It clogs waterways, making recreational activities difficult or impossible and chokes out beneficial native plants. Managing and treating it is necessary for the health of Florida’s waters and to enable continued recreational boating and other aquatic activities.

For questions about this treatment contact Nathalie Visscher, FWC invasive plant management regional biologist, at 321-228-3364.

Some of Florida’s commercial fishermen will soon have more fishing opportunities, thanks to changes made by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at its Wednesday, Feb. 8, Commission meeting. Management changes will be made to the king mackerel harvest in southern Florida and the oyster harvest in Apalachicola Bay.

Commercial king mackerel fishers harvesting from waters off Monroe County will be able to land and sell their harvest in Collier County from April 1 to July 1. The Commission took this action because commercial fisherman can’t land their catch in Collier County because the season usually closes before April.

When the waters off Collier County are closed, commercial fishermen harvesting from Monroe County waters experience economic hardships because they must travel farther distances to sell their fish. The change will allow these fishermen to travel a shorter distance to sell their catch.

The Commissioners also approved a measure that will allow the harvest of oysters for seven days a week in Apalachicola Bay. Previously, harvest was not allowed on Fridays and Saturdays from June 1 through Aug. 31 and on Saturdays and Sundays from Sept. 1 through Nov. 15. The measure will go into effect June 1.

This increased harvesting opportunity comes in response to management changes in 2010 by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services that require oyster harvesters to deliver their oysters by a specified time of day during the warmer months of the year. The seven-day work week will allow Apalachicola Bay oyster harvesters the ability to make up for time lost in harvesting because of the new earlier delivery times.

To learn more about these management changes, visit MyFWC.com/Commission and click on “Commission Meetings” and then “Agenda.”

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) voted Feb. 8 to change how gag grouper is managed in Gulf of Mexico state waters (excluding Monroe County).

The decision, which came during day two of the three-day February Commission meeting, will achieve consistency with federal management efforts while potentially providing a region-specific recreational season in four counties.

The FWC manages marine fish from the shore to nine nautical miles in the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council manages Gulf of Mexico waters farther than nine nautical miles out. The following changes will make state gag grouper management efforts the same as recent federal gag grouper management efforts in the Gulf of Mexico: setting the recreational open season from July 1 through Oct. 31 and lowering the minimum commercial size limit from 24 inches to 22 inches total length.

The Commission also authorized Chairman Kathy Barco and Executive Director Nick Wiley to issue an executive order opening gag grouper season in the state waters off Taylor, Jefferson, Wakulla and Franklin counties, including Apalachicola Bay and Indian Pass. This gag grouper recreational season, if implemented, will open harvest in state waters during April, May and June, and close harvest in those waters during the July-to-October season. These changes will better align fishing opportunity with fish availability.

“I think we have to be sensitive to the economic side and the natural resource side,” said Commissioner Charles W. Roberts III. “I don’t think there is anybody here, especially in this room, who would like to jeopardize gag grouper. This isn’t an easy decision. We have to rely on the data we have available and make good decisions.”

Gag grouper has been closed in Gulf of Mexico state waters since Nov. 16, 2011.

The FWC believes applying these management changes will allow gag grouper populations to rebuild quickly while balancing the needs of anglers.

To learn more, visit MyFWC.com/Commission and click on “Commission Meetings” and “Agenda.”

Sabino R. Fuentes (DOB 08/29/79) received the citation for taking game fish by an illegal method, going over the bag limit of black bass and possession of undersized black bass, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officials.

FWC Officer Harold Barry was conducting freshwater fisheries inspections at Eagle Lake when he saw Fuentes using a cast net to catch the fish. Regulations state freshwater game fish may be taken only with pole and line or rod and reel.

Fuentes had caught and kept 23 black bass and eight bream. Twenty-one of the bass were undersized. In Eagle Lake, black bass less than 12 inches long must be released immediately, and the legal bag limit is five fish.  

The fish were released back into the lake and the cast net was seized.

All three charges are second-degree misdemeanors, punishable by a fine of up to $500 and/or up to 60 days in jail.

“Providing safe, convenient access to Florida’s waterways is one of our goals,” said Pat Harrell, the FWC’s Boating Access Coordinator. “This database is designed to help keep boaters informed about facilities that are currently available.”

Boaters can visit the Public Boat Ramp Finder site to locate and obtain details for more than 1,600 publicly accessible boat ramps.

“People can look for boat ramps within a certain county, on a lake they’d like to visit or even search for boat ramps near a specific street address or GPS coordinates,” Harrell said. “The database provides a map, details and often photos of the ramps.”

The database was created from an inventory conducted for the Statewide Boating Access Inventory and Economic Assessment. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provided funding through the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration’s Boating Access Program. Working with boating access management partners, including Florida’s counties and the Department of Environmental Protection, the FWC identified and indexed approximately 3,440 boat ramps around the state.

To access the database, visit MyFWC.com/Boating. To help the FWC improve and update this database, the public is asked to email BoatRamps@MyFWC.com to report errors or new information.

The Feb. 7 workshop starts at 1 p.m.; regular sessions Feb. 8-9 start at 8:30 a.m. at the Florida Public Safety Institute Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy, 215 Academy Dr., Havana. Driving directions to the meeting site are available at https://fpsi.tcc.fl.edu/pages/directions.aspx. All meetings are open to the public.

The stock assessment workshop will provide the Commissioners an opportunity to discuss and share ideas about state and federal marine fisheries stock assessment processes.

On Wednesday, Feb. 8, Commissioners are expected to take final action on king mackerel and Gulf of Mexico gag grouper management efforts. They will also look at three marine fisheries and two boating draft rules.

Federal fishery management groups are working on a gag grouper rebuilding plan in the Gulf of Mexico. New Gulf of Mexico gag grouper federal management efforts include setting the recreational season to July 1 through Oct. 31 and decreasing the commercial minimum size limit from 24 inches to 22 inches. Commissioners will decide whether to adopt similar changes in state waters at the meeting.

Commissioners will also take action on a proposed amendment that would allow commercial harvesters taking king mackerel in southwest Florida to land them in Collier County when waters off the county are closed to harvest.

A change in oyster management proposes a seven-day commercial oyster harvest week in Apalachicola Bay. If the Commission approves this, the change could be adopted without additional public hearings.

Another proposed modification would allow Tampa Bay commercial shrimp permit holders to transfer their permits to other commercial harvesters.

A third marine fisheries change, this one on roundscale spearfish, proposes amending state billfish management efforts to coincide with recent federal management changes. Proposed changes include removing roundscale spearfish from a list of prohibited billfish, adding it to the minimum size limit for white marlin and adding roundscale spearfish to the state’s billfish possession limit.

Division of Marine Fisheries Management staff will also present reports on federal fishery management actions and will review federal fishery management tools such as catch shares.

Regarding boating issues, FWC staff will present proposed amendments to enhance safety. The amendments would create slow-speed, minimum-wake zones in specific areas of Monroe and Volusia counties.

On Thursday, Feb. 9, the Commission will recognize FWC Officer of the Year Duane North, who works in Volusia County. North will also be honored by Shikar-Safari at the meeting.

After that, Commissioners will discuss the FWC’s plan to manage and conserve Florida black bears for future generations, now that the state’s bear population has increased from as few as 300 in the 1970s to an estimated 3,000 today. The draft Florida Black Bear Management Plan was released on Nov. 10, 2011, and is available online at MyFWC.com/Bear. Members of the public and stakeholder organizations have contributed more than 2,500 comments and suggestions on how to improve the draft bear management plan.

No final action on the draft, or proposed bear conservation measures, will be taken at this meeting. However, staff will seek approval to advertise a proposed draft rule that would prohibit the take of black bears unless authorized by Commission permit and direct staff to provide technical assistance to landowners and regulatory agencies in order to minimize or avoid negative impacts to bears. A separate proposed amendment would remove the black bear from the list of state-designated Threatened Species. 

Anyone requiring special accommodations to participate in the meeting should advise the FWC at least five days prior to the Feb. 7 meeting by contacting the FWC's Office of Human Resources at 850-488-6411. If you are hearing- or speech-impaired, contact the FWC using the Florida Relay Service at 800-955-8771 (TDD) or 800-955-8770 (voice).

To see the full agenda, go to MyFWC.com/Commission.

Changes affecting red drum include:

• The creation of three management zones (see map) for red drum instead of one statewide management area. The areas represent the northwest, northeast and southern sections of the state’s waters;

• Increasing from one to two the number of red drum that a recreational fisherman can take per day in the Northeast and Northwest zones;
• Establishing a statewide vessel limit of eight red drum;
• Limiting the number of red drum that can be transported in a vehicle on land to six red drum per person.

Changes affecting spotted seatrout include:

• Redefining the areas where spotted seatrout are managed by splitting the state into four management zones instead of three (see map);

• The recreational season will be open year-round statewide (this includes the removal of the February closure in northern Florida, and the November-through-December closure in southern Florida);
• Raising the recreational bag limit in Northeast Florida from five to six;
• Changing commercial seasons based on region – lengthening them from three months to five months in the Northwest and Southwest zones (June 1 - Oct. 31 for both) and in the Southeast region (May 1 - Sept. 30), and from three months to six months in the Northeast zone (June 1 - Nov. 30);
• Allowing spotted seatrout to be sold 30 days after the close of the regional commercial season with the proper paperwork;
• Changing the commercial vessel limit to 150 when there are two commercially licensed fishermen aboard.

Both species’ rule changes are the result of a successful management strategy.

“This is our version of having a listed, protected species and being able to take it off that list. This is a success story,” said Commissioner Brian Yablonski about the increased recreational fishing opportunities.

Other recreational red drum and spotted seatrout rules will remain the same.

To learn more about red drum and spotted seatrout recreational fishing, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater Fishing” and then “Recreational Regulations.”