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.

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.

The BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water honored Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, NY with its 2007 Clean Water Grant Excellence Award as it announced over $50,000 in new grants to 19 groups across the country for its 2008 Clean Water Grant program. The Clean Water Grants Excellence Award is bestowed on the group that completes the year’s most innovative, resourceful and effectiveClean Water Grant project. The Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County will receive an additional $1000 to use towards last year’s grant project that created positive posters encouraging boaters to stow their trash and prevent marine debris. “The finished product is a set of professional looking posters with positive messages that convey the importance of keeping our waterways clean.” said BoatU.S. Foundation Director of Environmental Programs Susan Shingledecker. “The Excellence Award recognizes their efforts and will allow them to continue their work educating boaters,” she added.

The Foundation, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit education and research organization, received over 60 applications for its 2008 Clean Water Grant cycle, which focused on educating boaters about preventing the spread of invasive species. Of the 19 grants selected for funding, projects ranged from creating signs about invasive species boat cleaning procedures, to a project that surveys boaters about their awareness of invasive species. Since 1988, the Foundation has awarded over a quarter of a million dollars in Clean Water Grants to fund projects that promote clean boating at the local level. Each year applications are made available in the Fall with a February 1 deadline. Funds are derived from the voluntary contributions of the 650,000 members of Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.).

For information about how to make a tax-deductible donation to help keep programs like these afloat, go tohttp://www.BoatUS.com/Foundation to make your donation online or mail your donation to: BoatU.S. Foundation, 880 South Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304. BoatU.S. Foundation 2008 Clean Water Grant Recipients include: Lakeland, FL: Lakeland Sail and Power Squadron will post signs at 30 local boat ramps throughout Polk County, Florida, describing the proper way to prevent the spreading of invasive animals and plants. Gainesville, GA: Lake Lanier Association will facilitate cleanups of the shoreline by residents and civic groups with an ongoing Shore Super Sweep Cleanup program. From BoatU.S. www.boatus.com

As of June 1st of this year, there are new state and federal regulations requirements in place that all recreational and commercial fisherman need to obey when fishing for reef species in the Gulf of Mexico. Many anglers are probably not even aware of the new regulations, but need to be. Anglers need to carry and use circle hooks when using cut or live bait to target these reef fish. They also now are required to have dehooking device, as well as a venting tool, onboard. These new regulations were put into place to help reduce bycatch while helping to eliminate mortality of reef fish when they are caught but not kept. Anglers need to be sure they have this new gear requirement on their boats at all times. If this new gear is used properly it will increase the survival rate of the reef fish that are caught and then released. Just having the equipment onboard is not enough; we, as responsible anglers, need to kow how to use each device as well.

Fishery management have certain regulations in place such as minimum size restrictions and daily bag limits to help protect the resource and ensure fishing will be enjoyed for many years to come. If anglers choose to ignore these new regulations, it defeats the purpose of all the current regulations in place here in Florida, as well as around the world. Circle hooks are being used more and more by anglers. They have been used many decades by the commercial fisherman, due to their ability to catch fish more efficiently. No question about it—circle hooks reduce fish mortality. Dehookers are used to dislodge the hook from a fish’s mouth without having to remove the fish from the water, and it helps anglers from having to touch the fish, which helps to keep their protective slime untouched as well (always handle fish with wet hands). There are many different shapes and sizes available depending on what size fish you will be targeting. The quicker you can get the hook out of a caught fish, the quicker that fish can be released unharmed to swim away, to spawn, and perhaps be caught again by others who enjoy fishing as much as we do.

Tampa Bay Watch and Tampa Bay Estuary Program have teamed up again to sponsor the Great Bay Scallop Search, a resource monitoring program where volunteers snorkel to search for scallops in select areas within Boca Ciega & Lower Tampa Bays. The Great Bay Scallop Search has been conducted annually since 1993. The purpose of this program is to monitor and document the health and status of the bay scallop population. Volunteers found only one live scallop in 2005 due to the severe red tide, 17.5 were found in 2006 and an all time event high of 555 scallops were found in 2007.

Tampa Bay Watch is optimistic to find even more scallops in 2008! The Great Bay Scallop Search is Tampa Bay Watch’s most popular volunteer event each year. Not only does it offer the opportunity to bring attention to the bay’s valuable resources, but it also promotes hands-on volunteerism and education to families and residents of the estuary. Many first-time as well as “seasoned” scallop searchers comment on the exciting bay wildlife they see under the water during the event. Even if a search team does not find their elusive scallop prey, fun is always had by all! About 45 boats, with over 200 participants, will search selected sites in Boca Ciega & Lower Tampa Bays for the elusive bay scallops.

Bay scallops, or the Argopecten irradians, disappeared from Tampa Bay in the 1960s when the bay water was highly polluted from dredging operations and industrial and municipal wastes. Tampa Bay’s water quality and seagrass beds have since improved to levels that will once again the bay scallop population. Registered scallop searchers will meet at 9:00am at the eastern side of the Fort De Soto Boat Ramp on Saturday, August 16 to receive survey equipment and instructions for the monitoring event. At each site, a weighted transect line 50 meters in length is laid along seagrass beds. Snorkelers count scallops along each side of the transect line, within one meter of each side, creating a 100 square meter survey area.

Bay scallops are secretive bivalves in the same family as clams and oysters. They may reach a shell size of two inches and spend most of their short 12- to 18-month life span hiding in sea grasses of waters like Tampa Bay. Scallops are filter feeders, therefore they are highly sensitive to changes in water quality and can be used to measure an ecosystem’s health and signal changes in water quality. Bay scallops are vulnerable to changes in water temperature and salinity. Adult bay scallops can pump as much as 15.5 quarts of water per hour. Tampa Bay Watch, Mote Marine Laboratory, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation are working to increase the bay scallops in our area by raising scallops in laboratories and releasing the juveniles into the Bay. Although bay scallops are edible, it is illegal to harvest scallops in Tampa Bay, in order for restoration efforts to be successful. Media is welcome to join us at the Scallop Search. Boats will be available at the Fort De Soto Park boat ramp to transport media for on-water interviews with scallop search participants. Contact Rachel Arndt at 727-867-8166 or email at rarndt@tampabaywatch.org for more information or to reserve a spot on a Tampa Bay Watch boat. 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.

The Labor Day weekend is one of the busiest holiday weekends of the year, especially on the waterways. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s 2007 Boating Accident Statistical Report states, “With well over 1 million vessels registered in the state, Florida leads the nation in the number of vessels . . . and has the highest number of boating fatalities annually.” Boat traffic can double or triple on holiday weekends, and dangerous conditions for the slow-moving manatees, as well as for families out boating, can increase dramatically. “Manatee deaths from boat collisions continue to be the leading known cause of manatee mortality,” said Patrick Rose, Executive Director of Save the Manatee Club. “This year, with gas prices on the rise, it makes good sense for the boating community to throttle back – take some of the pressure off their pocketbooks and at the same time help make Florida’s busy waterways safer. Going slower may improve your boat’s gas mileage and certainly improves the manatees’ chances of making it through the long weekend uninjured.

” Throttling back also reduces boat wakes, which can cause damage to property, such as seawalls and moored boats. To help protect manatees on a year-round basis, boaters should follow all posted boat speed regulations, slow down if manatees are in the vicinity, and stay in deep water channels when possible. If you see an injured, dead, tagged or orphaned manatee, or a manatee who is being harassed, call the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922) or #FWC or *FWC on your cellular phone, or use VHF Channel 16 on your marine radio. Also, find out how you can make your own boating experience safer by taking a boating safety course. For more information on classes, go to Save the Manatee Club’s website at the “Manatee Protection Tips for Boaters” page found at http://www.savethemanatee.org/boatertips.htm. Florida business owners, marinas, dive shops, parks, libraries, and schools who are interested in obtaining a free “Boat Safely” manatee conservation poster should contact Save the Manatee Club via e-mail at education@savethemanatee.org, by regular mail at 500 N. Maitland Ave., Maitland, FL 32751, or by calling toll free at 1-800-432-JOIN (5646). Please include your contact information along with full information on where the poster will be displayed.