During January 2010 FWC received hundreds of reports from anglers, fishing guides, and the general public regarding dead snook presumed to have been killed by cold weather and low water temperatures.
 
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission took a proactive and precautionary measure aimed at protecting surviving snook during their spring reproductive season by issuing an executive order on January 15 that temporarily extended closed harvest seasons for snook statewide until September 1.

The season's first major fishing tournament in Florida’s Emerald Coast region is just around the corner!  Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort is the location of the annual Sandestin Fishing Tournament scheduled for August 25^th through the 29^th this year. The Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, and Baytowne Village, and Marina will feature live entertainment, vendors, and artists throughout the entire fishing tournament weekend. This area is a must-see region, voted one of the top 2010 destinations in the world by Frommer’s.

The town of Destin has adopted the slogan "The World’s Luckiest Fishing Village" and the area is considered one of the richest fishing areas in the region. Roughly 3.5 million visitors come to Destin each year, a good number of them hoping for the best catch on the Gulf coast.

We in Florida are much like Aussies in one aspect…there seems to be a large contingent of people who like hunting large reptiles capable of relative speed and considerable anger. The bigger the better. I am, of course, referring to our huge population of the rebounded ‘gator. With the population stable since the mid-eighties and growing, the FWC has, in the past couple of decades, issued permits for people to challenge death and attempt to bring home the timeless, almost mindless, but definitely not defenseless denizen of the swamp and some people’s back yards.

For those with this particular itch I deem as a death wish, our ever so cooperative officials at the FWC are offering free, yes free, three hour classes on how to better your odds at getting one of the last known dinosaurs. Actually, it covers more than the safety aspect, and delves into the hunt, proper techniques for getting them and processing, and believe it or not, even tells you how to take care of the hide.

The war between fishermen and lawmakers over snapper fishing is heated as a crematorium furnace on the south pole. On Thursday, July 15^th, new legislation was introduced that has both sides working the debate of the Atlantic snapper fishery hard.

For those of you unaware, there is a law already in effect that bans all snapper fishing in areas of the south Atlantic from North Carolina to Cape Canaveral. Florida’s concern is from south Georgia to Cape Canaveral. There is also legislation on the table to ban all bottom fishing. The depth of effect on all levels of fishing would be devastating, but so would continued overfishing, if that is truly the case. Thus, the debate rages.

With the fall boat show season fast approaching, it is time to start thinking about advertising. Getting the best “bang-for-your-buck” is not always easy when choosing which way to spend your hard-earned advertising budget. But now you can offer your inventory to “Hot Prospects” at an extremely low advertising investment per boat by using the Boat Shopper and Florida Marine Times magazines in conjunction with the upcoming boat show season. If you advertise in the designated show editions, not only will your ad appear in our street edition, reaping the benefits of our high impact distribution, additionally we will be at popular boat shows handing out thousands of books with your ad(s) in them. Because they are FREE, they reach even more potential customers for you.

If you want to get your products in the hands of your customers then advertising in the Boat Shopper and Florida Marine Times during the upcoming boat show season is essential. Our goal is clear: make your advertisement easily accessible to anyone in the market for new or used boats and accessories.

Space is limited; call today to reserve your ad(s) in Boat Shopper and Florida Marine Times and get your ad in the hands of thousands of prospective buyers at these popular shows! Call Mr. Green at 1-800-367-1723 for details and restrictions. Our graphics design team is ready and waiting to create a full color custom ad, built exclusively for you, in order to meet your individual advertising needs. Allow us to get you the best “bang-for-your-buck”and bring customers to your door.

Even though we have extremely distressing news about Snapper fishing on the east coast of Florida and Georgia, in that over 4800 square miles closed to bottom fishing, NOAA and the FWC brought good news about Swordfish in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has agreed and have decided to match NOAA in their regulations. Both state and federal waters and will up the limit on Swordfish from three to four on private vessels, six on charter boats, and fifteen on headboats. Additionally the thirty-three pound minimum weight requirement will be lifted.These new rules will probably be implemented in August.

NOAA, in some ways blowing their own horn, or possibly passing government propaganda, stated the strict federal regulations has not only raised the Swordfish population, but eliminated both overfishing and has successfully reduced sea turtle bycatch. With that in mind, we may be able to quit imports of Swordfish from Canada, Panama, Ecuador, and even Singapore.

Florida’s Black Bass Plan is Heaven to Fishermen’s Ears! Could Florida become the Black Bass fishing capital of the world? It may be already, but the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission believes their plan will accomplish just that, and they are asking Bass fishermen their opinions, as well. Previous inputs are already being integrated into a long term plan expected to take Bass management through the year 2030.

There are few places in the world better suited to become the Bass capital. The geography and climate are extremely well suited for the Black Bass population to thrive, and they truly do. There are over 7,700 named lakes in Florida, and that doesn’t include the private lakes and large ponds that exist. Almost anyone is within an hour’s ride to a fishing wonderland.

Florida Keys lobsters are quite different from their northern cousins. For one thing, they don’t have claws. Instead, they’re known as spiny lobsters—that is why, later in this article, I will suggest a tough pair of gloves. Their meat has a slightly chewy sweetness that Maine lobsters can’t hope to emulate. Buy lots of butter, but don’t melt it yet. The most popular way to serve lobster is steamed, boiled or grilled with the aforementioned melted butter, but you first have to catch them! Thankfully, the Lobster Mini Season 2010 is upon us.

With only days left before the season begins, I am getting very excited. I've started organizing my gear and making sure I don't need to purchase a new lobster tickle stick, or a new lobster net. The Lobster Mini Season is one of the most popular summer boating and diving events in the Florida Keys; every year Key West goes lobster crazy when it officially opens on July 28-29. The whole area becomes a mad house! Would-be lobster hunters coming and going, boats on trailers up and down the main drag, it’s more like a festival than a mere two-day lobster season. Try it once—you're hooked!

Recently while perusing the Tampa Boat Show, I saw a new product “Flex-Toilet” that would be an excellent tool for boaters and campers alike to consider. This product is easy to use, environmentally “green”, compliant with current laws, inexpensive and adaptable for use with many kinds of waste receptacles.

This product is simply a bag that is used as a liner for your boat or camper “head”. When used, the bag will absorb the liquid waste and its odors into a solid gel. The solid content can then be easily disposed of as an odorless, leak free, compact discrete package along with regular household waste. Flex-Toilet is available in a convenient 5 pack and Handy emergency packages with 2 Flex-Toilets, great for being stored in a small space in a; car, truck, private airplane, or in a backpack...

Pollution from human sewage is a very serious issue for the gulf, some of which comes from careless boaters. By providing education and access to the proper tools, this kind of pollution can be greatly reduced.