Gulf red snapper season opened June 4th and lasts until July 28th. Atlantic red snapper season for federal waters runs from July 9th to the 11th, a total of three days. If you plan to fish for red snapper in state or federal waters off Florida from a private recreational vessel, even if you are exempt from fishing license requirements, you must sign up as a State Reef Fish Angler. As a State Reef Fish Angler, you might receive a questionnaire in the mail about your reef fish trips as part of Florida’s State Reef Fish Survey. These surveys were created specifically to provide more robust recreational data for management of red snapper and other important reef fish and have allowed FWC the unprecedented opportunity to manage red snapper in state and federal waters. We thank you for your participation and good luck out there.
Help Protect Sea Turtles, Fill in Beach Holes
Recently, beach goers have left huge uncovered holes on Pinellas County sea turtle nesting beaches. These holes can injure or trap adult females and hatchlings. Sea turtle nesting season is in full swing on our beaches. Nesting females come ashore to lay their eggs and the first nests are starting to hatch. Hatchlings emerge from the sand to cross the beach as they find their way to the ocean. You can help protect them! Please enjoy your time at the beach, but before you leave, fill in any holes dug in the sand. and clear the way at the end of the day -- beach furniture, canopies and toys left behind on the sand can become obstacles that block nesting and hatchling turtles. Thanks for making our beaches a safer place for sea turtles. Photo courtesy of Anna Maria Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring, AMITW.
Rediscovery of the Threeridge Mussel
In June 2019, the presumed extirpated threeridge mussel, (Amblema plicata), was rediscovered in the Choctawhatchee River, Florida, by FWC researchers. The mussel was thought to be wiped out of this area, as it had not been seen in the Choctawhatchee Basin in more than six decades. Based on museum records, the threeridge mussel was collected from four sites in the basin, between 1933 and 1958. FWC’s Freshwater Mussel Conservation Program surveyed 110 sites in this basin, between 2014 and 2019, collecting a total of 16,468 individual mussels, representing 22 species. In 2019, one Threeridge Mussel was identified, to the glee of researchers! Using a DNA barcoding system, the collected mussel was verified as the presumed extirpated Threeridge Mussel. You can read the full report here.
FWRI Featured in Changing Seas Documentary
FWC partnered with PBS to take a deeper look at wildlife found in the salt marsh. Watch FWRI biologists from our Garcon Point lab in the Panhandle talk about the science behind salt marshes and meet a few species that inhabit the marsh including alligator gar, gulf sturgeon and the saltmarsh topminnow. “At the Water’s Edge: The Salt Marsh” premiered June 23rd and can be watched on Changing Seas' website. FWRI's Charlotte Harbor fisheries biologists are also featured in "Habitats: The Key to Florida's Fisheries" which takes a close look at snook and tarpon, and premieres June 30th at 8pm EST.
Transplanting of Corals Susceptible to Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease Begins
FWC, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and our coral reef restoration partners successfully outplanted 1,152 coral colonies along Florida’s Coral Reef from Martin County to Key West as part of the largest coordinated experimental outplanting effort in Florida to date. The purpose of this project is to determine the fate of coral species that are susceptible to stony coral tissue loss disease when outplanted across Florida’s coral reef where the disease remains present but no longer found in epidemic proportions. First reported in 2014 off the coast of Miami-Dade County, this disease has spread along Florida’s coral reef and to reefs in the Caribbean, resulting in the death of thousands of coral colonies. The knowledge gained during this study will guide future efforts to restore coral communities on Florida’s coral reefs.
New on MyFWC.com/Research
We hope you enjoy these articles that have been recently added/updated on our website:
2021 Manatee Mortalities Annual Rescue Summaries (Manatees) Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch 2020 Red Drum Stock Assessment New Publications Oyster Integrated Mapping and Monitoring Program (OIMMP) Florida Fire Occurrence Dataset Red Tide Manatee Mortalities Bay Scallop Season and Abundance Survey Training Materials for the Nesting Beach Survey Workshops Internship Opportunities Area Contingency Plans Selected Sawfish References Florida's Freshwater Mussels and Clams Red Snapper Research on the Atlantic Coast
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Through effective research and technical knowledge, we provide timely information and guidance to protect, conserve, and manage Florida's fish and wildlife resources.
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