Tarpon fishery on FWC agenda in Tampa
By TERRY O’CONNOR – Editor (toconnor@breezenewspapers.com) , Gasparilla Gazette
Great way to kill a poon.
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will meet at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 5-6 in Tampa to discuss the tarpon fishery in Boca Grande.
The meeting, open to the public, will be at the Doubletree Hotel, 4500 W. Cypress St., Tampa.
Other agenda items include the statewide Nuisance Alligator Program; gopher tortoise, panther and falconry management; the anchoring and mooring program; marine life and saltwater fisheries; and modifications to management of Atlantic sea bass and reef fish.
FWC commissioners will hear an update on tarpon, game fish and sport fish designations and how they might affect some Florida fisheries after strategy and budget issues are determined.
FWC Chairman Kenneth Wright promised the hot-button issue of protecting the tarpon fishery around Boca Grande would receive a fair airing.
“We’re going to be taking this issue up in our September meeting in Tampa,” Wright said. “There’s been enough attention brought to me and the FWC that I am going to be looking into it and holding a tarpon summit bringing together representatives of the tarpon guides, Bonefish & Tarpon Trust as well as Professional Tarpon Tournament Series and get as many of those parties together to get the facts on the table.” [read more]
