www.Fl-Seafood.com

Spring starts March 20 and, after this unusually cold winter, who isn’t looking forward to saying goodbye to winter and hello to the beginning of warmer weather?  To look our best in those spring frocks perhaps we should start by getting back on track with some new light and healthy recipes.  Seafood is a good starting place because it is low in calories, an excellent source of protein, low in sodium and contains omega-3 fatty acids that can reduce the risk of heart-related disease.  Florida has an abundance of seafood types to choose from so you can support our local fisheries and enjoy good health with the fresh catch from the Sunshine State. Prepare for spring with these great Florida seafood recipes.

• Florida Shrimp Spring Rolls

• Grilled Ginger Mahi-Mahi with Florida Tropical Fruit Salsa

• Florida Blue Crab Portabella

 

Week of Feb 26 - March 4, 2010

Click to View the PDF Bulletin.

News Release

March 5, 2010
Contact: Gary Morse, 863-227-3830

The black-market connection to the sale of stolen shrimp in Lee County got a little smaller Thursday, thanks to an undercover bust by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) investigators.

Shortly after noon, John Anthony Staniewicz Jr. (DOB  07/26/50) of 19241 San Carlos Blvd., Fort Myers Beach, was arrested by FWC law enforcement officers on a second-degree felony charge for dealing in stolen property and a second-degree misdemeanor charge of buying and selling saltwater products without a wholesale dealer's license.  Dealing in stolen property is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.  Selling saltwater products without a license is punishable by up to a $500 fine and 60 days in jail.

Fish-house business owners in Lee County who own shrimp boats complained to FWC investigators that they were losing about $250,000 a year as a result of theft.   The complaint suggested that middlemen were buying shrimp stolen by unscrupulous boat crews employed to run the businesses' fishing vessels. In the past, FWC undercover investigators have targeted boat crews for this illegal practice.  This time, FWC investigators targeted a suspected black-market dealer.

FWC investigators made two sales to Staniewicz. The first for 40 pounds occurred on Feb. 25.  The second sale of 68 pounds of shrimp occurred on March 4, just prior to the arrest.

Robert W. Balmsworth (DOB 07/15/46), who bought shrimp from Staniewicz on March 4, was issued a summons for not having a wholesale dealer's license.  Balmsworth told investigators he was going to sell the shrimp to people in his neighborhood.

"The commercial fishing business is tough enough without having to deal with theft issues," said Lt. Steve Mevers, lead investigator for the FWC. "In addition, this product was not stored or handled according to state law, and with that come significant health risks to the public."

For more information on rules and regulations governing the sale of saltwater products, visit the FWC's Web site at MyFWC.com/License/Saltwater_Licenses_Commercial.htm for details.

• February 25, 2010 
• February 18, 2010

News Release

February 26, 2010
Contact: Lee Schlesinger, 850-487-0554

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) advises the public that its temporary suspension of certain saltwater fishing and licensing regulations to allow for the cleanup of dead fish will expire on March 1.

The order - initially for Jan. 16-31, then extended for one month - was issued in response to numerous reports of saltwater fish killed by an extended cold-weather period in Florida.

The FWC is no longer receiving widespread reports of dead saltwater fish around the state, and people must observe all normal fishing and licensing regulations that apply to the harvest and possession of saltwater fish.  These rules are available online at MyFWC.com/Fishing or MyFWC.com/Rules.

More information regarding the 2010 cold-weather saltwater fish kills is available online MyFWC.com/Fishing.

News Release

February 25, 2010
Contact: Lee Schlesinger, 850-487-0554

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reminds anglers that the harvest season for snook in Gulf of Mexico, Everglades National Park and Monroe County waters, which usually begins on March 1, will not be open this year.  The FWC issued an executive order on Jan. 15 that temporarily extends closed harvest seasons for snook statewide until Sept. 1 to protect snook populations affected by recent prolonged cold weather in Florida.

The order, which took effect on Jan. 16, provides that no person may harvest or possess snook in all state and federal waters off Florida until September.  Anglers may still catch and release snook during the closure, and the FWC encourages everyone to handle and release these fish carefully to help ensure their survival upon release.

More information regarding the FWC's executive order for snook is available online at MyFWC.com/Rules, click on "Fishing – Saltwater."

News Release

February 25, 2010
Contact: Lee Schlesinger, 850-487-0554

The recreational harvest season for spotted seatrout in North Florida reopens on March 1.  This means all Florida waters will be open to the sport harvest of spotted seatrout beginning that day.

Spotted seatrout harvest is prohibited in February in Atlantic Ocean waters north of the Flagler-Volusia county line to the Florida-Georgia border and in Gulf of Mexico waters north of a line running due west from the westernmost point of Fred Howard Park Causeway, which is about 1.17 miles south of the Pinellas-Pasco county line, to the Florida-Alabama border.  This one-month closure helps maintain spotted seatrout abundance.

The maximum daily bag limit for spotted seatrout in the reopened waters north of the established boundaries is 5 fish per person.  In waters south of these boundaries, the daily limit is 4 fish per person.

The statewide slot limit for spotted seatrout is 15-20 inches total length, but anglers may keep one spotted seatrout larger than 20 inches as part of the daily bag limit.

Spotted seatrout may not be harvested by any multiple hooks with live or dead natural bait, and snagging or snatch-hooking spotted seatrout is illegal.  Anglers may take spotted seatrout with hook-and-line gear and cast nets and must land the fish in a whole condition.

February 24, 2010

I am here today to listen to those who have come to rally Congress. I know the key to any successful fishery management program is active involvement by commercial and recreational fishermen as well as other interested stakeholders.

Marine fish and fisheries have been vital to the prosperity of this nation’s coastal communities for hundreds of years. Today, however, more than 20 percent of the nation’s fish stocks are overfished and need to be rebuilt to larger, healthier populations so that they can produce their full economic potential for fishermen, coastal communities and the nation.

In 2006, Congress reauthorized and strengthened the Magnuson-Stevens Act to meet that important goal. This reauthorization was groundbreaking in many respects, including the requirement that we use science-based annual catch limits to end overfishing on all stocks. Ending overfishing is the first step to allowing a fish stock population to rebuild to a level where the stock can be fished sustainably for the long term.

I recognize and appreciate the sacrifices being made today by the men and women in the commercial and recreational fishing industries to end overfishing and rebuild marine fish stocks as required by Magnuson. These sacrifices have the potential to result in significant long-term economic benefits to fishing communities and the nation as well as benefits to the overall ocean ecosystems. Recognizing the sacrifices being made to transition to more sustainable fishing, NOAA and Congress has made a commitment of $18.6 million to assist in the transition to sectors in the Northeast groundfish industry.

Rebuilding stocks has already led to important successes and significant economic benefits for fishermen, coastal communities and the nation. Some examples are the sea scallop, monkfish, bluefish and Gulf of Mexico king mackerel fisheries. The dockside value revenues in the sea scallop industry have increased from $84.7 million in 1994 when the stock was overfished to $370 million in 2008. The healthy bluefish stocks on the Atlantic coast provide consistent, reliable fishing opportunities for shore and party and charter boat anglers and the related economic benefits of sportfishing to a wide variety of shore businesses.

We estimate that once the nation rebuilds all fisheries, which we are on a track to do and required to do by law, the dockside value of our commercial fisheries would go from $4.1 billion to $6.3 billion annually, a 54 percent increase. Rebuilding recreational fisheries will help improve the economies of our nation’s coastal communities; saltwater angling generated $82 billion in sales and supported more than 500,000 jobs annually in NOAA’s most recent report.

I understand the criticism of the 10-year rebuilding timeframes in Magnuson. However, I believe Magnuson already contains the flexibility we need for rebuilding stocks by allowing certain exceptions based on biology and other issues. Balancing rebuilding for the long-term health of coastal communities with the immediate economic effects remains a challenge for everyone involved in implementing the act’s mandate to end overfishing and rebuild stocks.

Although I’ve only been in my job as head of NOAA’s Fisheries Service for a little more than a week, I am familiar with fishing communities, their proud traditions, and the challenges we face in keeping them vibrant for future generations. I am interested in hearing the concerns of everyone involved, and I look forward to a cooperative and productive relationship.

Inside This Issue:
Amendment 15B Implemented ...............2
In The News ......................................3
Shrimp Fishery Survey Begins ................3
Red Snapper & Proposed Area Closure .....4
Chairman Harris’ Testimony to Congress ..6
Regulations Snap Shot .........................7
Coral Restoration: An Interview ..............8
March 2010 Meeting Agenda .............. 11
Calendar ....................................... 12

VIEW SAFMC'S PDF WINTER NEWS!!