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SEAWATCH January/February 2002 Issue #89

Table of Contents:

• Why CCA Florida Became Involved in Manatee Protection Issues
• One Millionth Redfish Released in Tampa Bay
• Challenge from CCA's New General Manager

One Millionth Redfish Released in Tampa Bay

by Rick Farren

In October, Governor Jeb Bush released the one millionth redfish fingerling into Tampa Bay. The event highlighted a major state saltwater hatchery project to enhance redfish populations in the bay that CCA Florida has long supported.

Florida’s Port Manatee saltwater hatchery and the Tampa Bay redfish project are programs within the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Financial support for the hatchery programs comes primarily from funds generated by the purchase of saltwater recreational fishing licenses.

“This redfish stocking program is a prime example of the type of fisheries enhancement project that saltwater anglers envisioned when they supported passage of the fishing license,” said Ted Forsgren, CCA Florida Executive Director.

Last session, CCA helped obtain a legislative budget appropriation for an additional $435,000 in license monies to increase production at the hatchery. In addition, CCA Florida and the FishAmerica Foundation, Inc. have provided funding for specific improvement projects at the hatchery that allowed the facility to expand its capacity.

Local CCA Florida members in the Tampa and Pinellas chapters have also been active volunteer supporters of the program, and have even provided labor to improve the hatchery facility. CCA Florida volunteers also helped the FWC capture the redfish brood stock for the hatchery.

“It was exciting to be a part of it all,” said CCA Tampa chapter member Richard Seward. “The best part is, as fishermen, we will be seeing the benefits of this stocking effort in a short period of time.”

Redfish protection and management has been a centerpiece of CCA Florida’s fisheries conservation work for many years. In 1988, CCA Florida successfully campaigned to have commercial sale of redfish prohibited and to have strict harvest regulations placed on recreational fishers. As a result, Florida’s redfish populations have dramatically increased. “It is one of Florida’s major fisheries management success stories,” said Forsgren.

CCA Florida noted that the hatchery programs will further enhance redfish populations. However, the hatchery and stocking programs are designed to enhance, not replace management efforts on wild populations. “We still need to maintain the conservation measures which have created such a healthy and outstanding redfish fishery in Florida,” said Forsgren.

“The FWC’s Tampa Bay Project is fine tuning the science and technology of redfish stocking,” added Forsgren. “We expect the success and benefits from this program to lay the foundation for stocking efforts that will soon follow in other Florida bays and estuaries.”

Redfish Tag Returns
Thousands of hatchery raised red drum have been marked with a variety of externally visible streamer tags. These tags can be seen protruding from the back near the dorsal fin or the belly behind the left pectoral fin. The tags allow recreational anglers to identify a hatchery red drum so they can report the catch to stock enhancement scientists.

Each tag has a unique fish identification number and a toll-free Tag Return Hotline phone number (1-800-367-4461) imprinted on the streamer. Tagged redfish have been released and recaptured in Biscayne Bay, North Indian River Lagoon, St. Lucie River, Tampa Bay and in Volusia County.

Redfish Tagging Facts:

• The largest hatchery-produced redfish caught by an angler was 45 inches long. It was only 7 inches long when released.
• The record for the longest time in the wild before being caught is 2,183 days (approximately 6 years).
• The greatest distance traveled by a recaptured hatchery-raised redfish after release is 220 miles. The fish was released in Card Sound (south of Biscayne Bay) and reported caught by the Eau Gallie Causeway in Brevard County.

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On September 10, my cell phone rang as Sharon and I were pre-paring to close on a house in Orlando (we were in the process of moving back to our hometown from Bokeelia). We were completely surprised and delighted to be offered an opportunity for me to go to work as General Manager of CCA Florida. So, on the first day of November, a new chapter began for us. Retirement has been put aside again, and my worries about giving up chasing snook and redfish in Southwest Florida to chase bream in the lakes around Orlando have been resolved!

In my business career, and in my numerous years of volunteer work with CCA as a state board member, chapter member, manatee committee coordinator and banquet chairman in Orlando and Ft. Myers, plus a one year stint as CCA STAR Tournament Director, I have gained a lot of experience that hopefully will serve CCA well.

To me, CCA exists for one purpose— more fish in the water and access to those fish. The most effective way to support that purpose is to have a strong advocacy program in Tallahassee and in Washington, D.C. Until I began working on the manatee coordination project last year, I had never seen our advocacy program in action. During the hearings on various manatee zones and regulations around the state, I was fortunate enough to see Ted Forsgren testifying before the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and various technical committees, and working with the Governor’s office. There is no doubt. We have the best!!!

To witness the well-thought-out presentations, the logical arguments, the positions that are always backed up by sound scientific fact and the diplomatic way the data is presented was very impressive. Ted not only has the respect of his peers (advocates for other organizations), he also has tremendous respect from FWC commissioners, professional staff and representatives from the Governor’s office. This is a tough crowd, but they know they will always get a straight answer from CCA Florida.

My job (and all of our jobs) is to raise the money needed to see that this representation of our interests is continued at the most effective level possible.

We are in the midst of an uncertain economy. We will surely see attempts to reverse many of the gains we have made over the years as a consequence of these economic conditions. In addition, there is a growing effort afoot to close or restrict vast areas of our waters for various reasons (manatee zones, marine protected areas, no fishing zones, etc.). If we want to continue to fish in our favorite areas and we want our children and grandchildren to learn the joy of days on the water, we all need to be active in supporting our advocacy program. It is much more effective to have a “watchdog” in Tallahassee keeping an eye on what is happening than it is to read about changes after they have already been put in place and then try to get them reversed or changed.

In the coming weeks we will be proposing some new ideas for more effective banquets and auctions. One thing that is already apparent is that most chapter banquets and fundraisers have come to depend on donated merchandise and trips provided by the state office. The state office has led the way in this transition from the days when chapters generated their own donated merchandise. The chapters who have the most effective banquets, however, and achieve the best financial results, are the chapters whose members generate the most donated items to be auctioned. If our goal is to generate as many dollars as possible for advocacy, then spending dollars at the state office level on generating trips, merchandise and art works is taking money away from our primary purpose. The board’s goal, and my goal, is to reverse that trend. It will take all of our efforts to make the change, but it will be very rewarding as we see our dollars being spent where they will do the most good.

We are urging every member (whether on a banquet committee or not) to get involved with generating items to support our fundraisers. You, or someone you know might have access to a beach house or mountain cottage for a week that could be auctioned, or someone could donate a hunting trip or fishing trip, or even football tickets from their season ticket package. Members can also donate products from their business, or someone may have a special relationship with a favorite restaurant and can get a couple of dinners donated. Maybe a member can get a couple of rounds of golf donated, or could organize a tubing trip and picnic.

We can also trade trips with other chapters or other states when a local trip might not be interesting to a local angler or a guide doesn’t want local anglers knowing his favorite fishing holes. Florida is so different from one end to the other that things which are very routine and taken for granted in one part of our state are “lifetime experiences” for folks from another area, and they can be very valuable when traded to another chapter. The list of possibilities is endless, but the key here is that everyone can do something to contribute to a successful banquet, which in-turn supports a stronger advocacy program and benefits the sport we all love.

If you can help, please contact your local banquet committee, or local chapter president, or give us a call at the state business office at 407-672-2058. Put on the old thinking cap and help us help you make 2002 the best year ever for CCA Florida. Thanks in advance for your support.

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Thank You

We are deeply appreciative of Mercury Marine for their continued support of CCA Florida
conservation initiatives.  Mercury donates two motors for every CCA Florida banquet. 

CCA Florida would also like to recognize:

FLORIDA SPORTSMAN MAGAZINE and the WICKSTROM FAMILY for their generous support for our membership growth program and their work for marine conservation in Florida.

STELLA MARINE of Palm Beach Gardens and Stuart for a major Gold Level donation in support of "our waters and fisheries and to do our part to make sure our children have the opportunity to enjoy those great natural resources."

CALUSA CAST NETS and CRACKER CAST NETS for their consistent and longtime support of marine conservation through donated and discounted cast nets provided for every CCA Florida fundraising banquet.

THE ORVIS COMPANY who continues to make a significant annual donation of merchandise to CCA Florida in addition to underwriting a majority of the expenses related to publishing SEAWATCH.

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