Is there someone in your town who has helped boaters be more environmentally responsible and made their local waterways cleaner? The BoatU.S. Foundation plans to honor those who have made a significant contribution towards improving waterway health and educating boaters on how to minimize their environmental impact. Any group, organization, company, marina or individual who has worked hard to make a difference is eligible for the 2009 BoatU.S. Foundation Environmental Leadership Award. The recipient also receives $1000 to help continue their environmental efforts.

The deadline to apply is June 30, 2009. “We are looking for nominees who have had a real impact,” said Susan Shingledecker, assistant vice president and director of environmental programs for the BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water. “For example, the award could go to a group that has cleaned up miles of beaches, a hometown marina that has led the way in helping keep our waterways clean, or a boat club member who has spearheaded a local environmental education campaign,” she added. The award was created to complement the efforts of the BoatU.S. Foundation, which has a long history of working with waterway users, marinas and local organizations throughout the country to help bring environmental messages directly to boaters. Applications and more information about the award are available at http://www.BoatUS.com/Foundation. Any questions may be directed to Shingledecker at SShingledecker@BoatUS.com. From BoatU.S. www.boatus.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Samantha Scott (239) 221-2858 | Samantha@GetPushing.com 42ND ANNUAL NAPLES BOAT SHOW SEES MORE THAN 7,000 VISITORS Despite Economy, Event Bigger & Better Then Previous Year NAPLES, Fla. – January 29, 2009 – The Marine Industries Association of Collier County (MIACC) is pleased to announce their recent 42nd Annual Naples Boat Show and 1st Annual Seafood Festival was a huge success. The four-day event kicked off on Thursday, January 22nd and saw more than 7,000 attendees and over 200 boats. A total of more than 100 vendors, including over 20 area boat dealers and in excess of 80 related businesses, were on hand as guests perused the show and enjoyed the sounds of J Roberts, The Dazzling Delray’s and Cathy Orban.

As part of the inaugural seafood festival, food and beverages were offered by Pincher’s Crab Shack and their 7 locations. Event sponsors included Naples Daily News, Bonita Daily News, SetAnchor.com, Pincher’s Crab Shack, Antaramian Development Group, Carter Fencing, Taylor Rental Naples, Naples Bay Resort, Renda Broadcasting and Sea//Tow Naples. “We were thrilled with the turn out this year and look forward to continuing the tradition in an even bigger way next year,” commented Summer Hoglund, Director of MIACC. “Our guests and vendors enjoyed themselves and the weather couldn’t have been better. Just another day in boater’s paradise.” For more information about the 43rd Annual Boat Show and 2nd Annual Seafood Festival already in the works or to sign up for the mailing list, please visit www.miacc.org or email director@miacc.org. The Marine Industries Association of Collier County represents the Collier County marine industry and promotes and protects recreational boating in Southwest Florida. The MIACC believes in every citizen’s right to access Florida’s waterways and helps to protect and enhance the waterways for the enjoyment of both residents and tourists. In addition, they also promote boating and fishing education.

Anyone who holds an active USCG Merchant Mariners Document is required to apply for and obtain a TWIC card (Transportation Worker Identification Credential). This applies to any size Captain’s license of any scope. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) developed the transportation worker identification credential program in response to the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002. MTSA requires use of a biometric identification credential by individuals who require unescorted access to secure areas of maritime facilities and vessels. Before issuing a TWIC, TSA must conduct a security threat assessment on the TWIC applicant. An applicant who, as a result of the assessment, is determined not to pose a security threat, will be issued a TWIC. All Captains must carry a TWIC card to be valid on the water. The location, hours and procedure can be obtained from the TSA web site http://www.tsa.gov/twic. You can pre-enroll or call 1-866-347-8942. Or contact the USCG at http://homeport.uscg.mil or call 1-866-289-9673. You will need a valid driver’s license, passport, social security card, and your USCG License. You will be fingerprinted, have a digital photograph taken, and pay the fee established by TSA Courtesy of the Captains School, Captain P. Casey. www.captainschool.com 1-877-435-3187. OUPV, Masters, Towing, Sailing STCW. "We give the test"

Captain Sergio Atanes will share his skills with Bay Area anglers during another of the widely acclaimed Capt. Sergio’s Saltwater Fishing School, rated as one of the country’s top fishing schools by Sport Fishing Magazine’s September/October issues. Classes start January 12 and runs through the February 4th. The school is led by Atanes, professional fishing guide and a staff of nine instructors. The school consists of 10 classes covering a variety of topics including fly fishing basics, how to select baits and tackle, tie knots, When-Where-How to catch fish, operate state-of-the-art marine electronics, and more. Classes meet from 6:45 to 9:00 p.m. at Tampa Fishing Outfitters, 3916 West Osborne Ave., Tampa, FL on Monday and Tuesday nights. Cost is $75.00 per adult and $50.00 for kids 14 and under. The cost is for all 10 classes. Registration includes a text book. To ensure quality instruction, class size is being kept small. To secure your place in the class contact Captain Sergio Atanes at (813) 973-7132 or register by email at atanes@msn.com

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) proposed a draft rule Thursday to change the recreational harvest season for Red Snapper in Gulf of Mexico state waters. A final public hearing on this proposed action will take place during the FWC’s February meeting in Destin. The FWC proposal would change the recreational red snapper harvest season in Gulf state waters from April 15 through Oct. 31 to June 1 through Sept. 30. This proposed action would be consistent with the Red Snapper closed season in Gulf federal waters. Red Snapper are considered to be overfished and undergoing overfishing in the Gulf. Shortening the fishing season in state waters will reduce the harvest of Gulf Red Snapper and help rebuild the fishery’s population. The FWC also believes that adopting the same closed Red Snapper recreational season that exists in Gulf federal waters could reduce the need for further restrictions in the future.

New state and federal rules apply to all waters fished in the Gulf of Mexico. Effective June 1, 2008 all vessels are required to have on board dehooking devices, venting tools, and use circle hooks, when fishing for reef fish. This pertains to Groupers, Snappers, Amberjacks, Triggerfish, Porgies, Sea Bass, Hogfish, and Tilefish. FWC Law Enforcement Officers will be taking an educational approach toward enforcement just before, and after, implementation of the new rules. Most local bait and tackle stores should have the tools for your vessel. For further detailed information see the latest Florida Fishing Regulations, Saltwater Edition, or call 888-833-1844.

Ted Forsgren, Executive Director of Coastal Conservation Association Florida (CCA Florida) strongly recommends that the Gulf Council and National Marine Fisheries Service take emergency action to prohibit bottom longline gear in the Gulf of Mexico off of Florida. Bottom longline gear has been causing overfishing, waste and by-kill for many years. The recent documentation of the excessive damage to endangered sea turtles calls for action to deal with the longline problem once and for all. Urge the Gulf Council to take emergency action to prohibit bottom longline gear off of Florida’s west coast. CCA Florida Comments:

1. HUGE BY KILL OF ENDANGERED SEA TURTLES – Recent research has revealed that bottom longline gear for reef fish, along with longline gear set for sharks, is taking much larger numbers of endangered loggerhead and other sea turtles than anticipated by the 2005 Biological Opinion required by the Endangered Species Act. The information extrapolated from the recent survey indicates 974 interactions of endangered sea turtles and bottom longline gear with 433 turtles released. 325 released dead and 216 status unknown. The huge loss of sea turtles each year to bottom longline gear is completely unacceptable and action must be taken immediately.

2. LARGE SCALE AND HIGH VOLUME TAKE BY LONGLINE GEAR - CCA and CCA Florida have been concerned over the use of bottom longline gear in the Gulf of Mexico reef fish fishery for well over a decade. The high volume, industrial level take greatly inhibits the ability to achieve resource protection goals while maintaining a viable recreational fishery and commercial hook and line fishery. During a lawsuit in 2005, information was obtained documenting that just 25 longline boats took more Red Grouper than all the recreational fishers in the entire Gulf of Mexico.

Tampa Bay Watch celebrates fifteen years of Restoring the Bay Every Day with an Evening for the Bay. The event will take place at Tampa Bay Watch Marine Center and will feature live music, delicious food, libations, a silent auction and raffle on Friday, December 5, 2008 from 5-10 p.m. Guests are welcome to wear island casual attire. Dean Young, popular cartoonist of Blondie comic strip, graciously donated the commemorative artwork featured for this event. Proceeds from the event will benefit Tampa Bay Watch, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the marine and wetland environments of the Tampa Bay estuary and educating the community about environmental stewardship.

Tampa Bay Watch mobilizes over 10,000 community volunteers per year with hands-on habitat restoration projects such as salt marsh plantings, oyster dome and reef construction, coastal cleanups and storm drain markings. The mission of the organization has a positive and visible impact on the community, children and the Tampa Bay area through restoration projects and education programs. The efforts of Tampa Bay Watch to restore and protect the bay’s habitat through stewardship and community awareness provide effective long term improvements to the bay and empower our community with the knowledge to counteract our environmental problems. By expanding involvement in hands-on restoration and protection projects around the bay, the organization strives to counteract the huge loss of wetland habitat over the past 100 years. To register for an Evening for the Bay, to sponsor this event, or donate auction and raffle items, please contact Jessica Combs at 727-867-8166 or visit www.tampabaywatch.org.

Please RSVP by November 28th. Tampa Bay Watch is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) stewardship program dedicated exclusively to the charitable and scientific purpose of protecting and restoring the marine and wetland environments of the Tampa Bay estuary encompassing over 400 square miles of open water and 2300 square miles of highly-developed watershed. Tampa Bay Watch involves more than 10,000 youth and adult volunteers each year in hands on habitat restoration projects. For more information on upcoming events, becoming a volunteer or member, visit www.tampabaywatch.org, or call 727-867-8166.

Florida is recognized as the number one destination for saltwater sportfishing enthusiasts, producing an estimated $5 billion in annual revenue for the state’s economy. State wildlife authorities and sportfishing groups agree this part of the state’s resources have to be protected in order to maintain the state’s prominence, as well as its natural environmental balance. A strong, state-wide public-private coalition of interested partners in the state have banded together to plan for the long term health of the state’s indigenous fisheries resources through responsible renourishment of those species. Redfish, Sea Trout, and Snook will be grown at several hatchery sites throughout the state. Parallel habitat restoration activities will also be a feature of the initiative.

The initiative is led by the Wildlife Foundation of Florida, under the supervision of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Partners in the initiative include: Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, Coastal Conservation Association, Florida Institute of Technology, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Mote Marine Laboratory, and the University of Miami. Plans call for 6–8 sites throughout the state, each playing a critical, non-duplicative role in the overall project.

Cost for each site is anticipated to range between $8 and $10 million. The sites will come online in a 10-year phased approach beginning in 2009. Technological advances in fish culture, especially related to the feasibility of small footprint, recirculating systems, are proceeding rapidly and it is likely that cost per facility will come down over time. These funds will be raised from industry, private donors, grants, governmental bodies, non-profit, academic and private fisheries research institutions, and concerned citizens and other stakeholders.

Fund-raising will focus on priority sites and species. Some sportfish have already been produced at the Port Manatee Hatchery for Project Tampa Bay, FWC’s pilot stocking project. The Initiative has set a target to produce significant quantities of viable Redfish by 2010–11 on the east coast of the state. More information is available online at http://www.supportfloridasportfish.com.

In the late 1700s and early 1800s, Cuban fishermen moved to Key West and up the west coast to Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound. One of them, Jose Maria Caldez, started a fishing rancho on Caldez Island (Uncle Seppa’s Island now known as Useppa Island), Cayo Palau, and others in Pine Island Sound. He employed Cuban/Spanish Indians that were fishermen, some were probably originally (Florida Indians) from this area. They could have been native Florida Indians or Creek Indians that had gone to Cuba. They were now in the fish rancho business for Cuba and the connection to Cuba was closer than to any local government on the mainland. These ranchos did a good business catching fish and selling them in Cuba. In the 1830s the Spanish were accused of selling weapons to the Seminoles who were fighting the US over removal from Florida. In 1836 an Indian chief, Wy-hoo-kee, led an attack on Useppa Island; all the residents fled. The fishing ranchos were abandoned. Some of the Spanish and Indians went back to Cuba or the keys, and some went into the interior with the hostiles.

Some of the Spanish wives and children were deported by the US to the Indian territory. In the history of the Seminole Wars, is a story of a renegade Seminole warrior/chief named Chakaika. He appears in 1839 in the Ft. Myers/Cape Coral area. He was called the biggest Indian in Florida, about six feet tall, and over two hundred pounds of a “strong stout build.” His story goes that before the Second Seminole War he came to Florida from one of the Creek tribes that moved south to get away from the whites. He may have said this to keep the Seminole from attacking him; he was not known to the other Creek tribes in Florida at the time. It is said that he led a band of Spanish Indians and Spanish/Indian mix who were fishermen. Chakaika’s people spoke their own language of Spanish and Indian different from the other tribes. They traded with the Spanish and Seminoles in the area. In 1839, an oral peace agreement was reached between one Seminole tribe in south Florida and the government. The military had no intention of honoring this agreement, wanting to move them to the west, and then subdue the Indians remaining in Florida; the Indians soon learned of the military’s plans. Chakaika was then called upon to help the Seminole, or be treated as their enemy. Given little choice, Chakaika decided “to follow.”