History

CCA helped implement new regulations for spotted seatrout

CCA and partners push for Gag Grouper state management in the Gulf.

CCA and partners succeed in getting the NMFS to grant EFP’s for a 39 day red snapper season in the South Atlantic.

CCA and partners stop the proposed cruise port in Terra Ceia Bay.

CCA worked to stop a proposal that would ban night fishing from Marco Island beach.

CCA entered into a lawsuit, on behalf of recreational fishermen, that was filed by commercial fishermen to stop the South Atlantic Red Snapper season.

CCA and others worked to stop the vessel whale restrictions. In January 2025 the restriction rule was withdrawn.

With support from CCA and others Governor Desantis vetoed the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Restoration Blueprint due to disagreements on management within State Waters.

CCA is working to decrease a closure in Biscayne National Park. The FWC has introduced a 1.74sq mile, 7 month closure to protect a pre-spawn aggregation for bonefish.

CCA pushes for more state management due to the uncertainty of the NOAA’s gag grouper numbers in the Gulf.

CCA calls for better fisheries data as NOAA announces the dismal 1-day South Atlantic red snapper season.

CCA Florida was invited to be with Governor DeSantis to announce the 103-day Gulf red snapper season.

CCA Florida, FWC, and other groups work to create an exempted fishing permit for red snapper on the South Atlantic.

CCA works to stop NOAA’s plan for pelagic longlining off of the Southeast coast.

CCA opposes NMFS push for South Atlantic bottom closures and asks for State Management.

CCA Florida and our National habitat program, the Building Conservation Trust, have contributed over $1.5 million since 2010 for habitat restoration projects around the state.  These funds have been leveraged with our partners to create over $10 million in habitat restoration projects in Florida.

CCA Florida has 45 completed and ongoing habitat restoration projects in 2024, with an additional 5 upcoming projects planned this year. Currently, CCA Florida has 17 habitat restoration projects planned in 2025.

CCA Florida in partnership with Sea & Shoreline with funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) through the Increasing Recreational Fisheries Engagement through the Fish Habitat Partnerships grant, has successfully completed a seagrass restoration project within John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo aiming to revitalize marine habitats and preserve Florida’s natural beauty. The project restored 5,000 square feet of damaged seafloor, creating healthier ecosystems that benefit both wildlife and the local economy.

CCA Florida launched a monumental grassroots initiative in 2024 called “The $1,000,000 Habitat Pledge.” This groundbreaking effort marks a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to sustainable coastal habitat restoration. CCA Florida will select 20 habitat projects from our local CCA chapters, with each receiving a $50,000 grant to spearhead this conservation commitment.

CCA won law suit brought by the commercial reef fish industry that attempted to roll back an important precedent affecting fishery allocations.

CCAFL is working on access issues regarding the Skyway fishing pier and pelican entanglements.

CCAFL pushed for HB 1379 to create the IRL protection plan, which will begin to remove septic tanks and divert bad water from getting into the lagoon.

CCAFL helped to pass the HJR 1157 the Right to Hunt and fish. This issue will now be on the 2024 ballot to be voted on to make it a constitutional right to hunt and fish.

CCAFL along with other organizations defeated a push to close eleven artificial reefs to fishing due to goliath grouper spawning aggregations. There was not enough science to prove that removing fishing would have any effects on the stock.

CCAFL was invited to be with Governor DeSantis to announce the 70-day Gulf Red Snapper season.

CCA Florida and our National habitat program, the Building Conservation Trust, have contributed over $1.3 million since 2010 for habitat restoration projects around the state.  These funds have been leveraged with our partners to create over $9 million in habitat restoration projects in Florida.

CCA Florida has 13 completed and ongoing habitat restoration projects in the first half of 2023, and an additional 14 upcoming habitat and artificial reef projects planned.

CCA Florida recently partnered with the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission on an American eelgrass restoration project along the St. Lucie River. Approximately one half acre was planted by CCA staff and volunteers including 100 fence exclosures and 500 4” eelgrass pots.

CCA Florida completed its third deployment on the Turtle Bay Oyster Reef project by installing an additional 22.5 tons of recycled oyster shell at the site. Since 2021, over 60 tons of CCA-recycled oyster shells have been deployed on the reef.

CCA Florida worked with the FWC to open a highly regulated Goliath Grouper season.

CCA Florida was invited to be with Governor DeSantis to announce the 57-day Gulf Red Snapper season.

CCA Florida worked with the FWC to create stricter regulations in Atlantic State Waters for Mahi Mahi. We are both working towards tighter regulations in Federal waters.

CCA Florida worked against the FWC proposal to increase the Redfish bag limit in the Big Bend to two fish and succeeded. We also helped to reduce the bag limit to one fish in the northeast and create a catch and release only in the IRL.

CCA Florida intervened in a lawsuit initiated by the commercial fishing industry that is attempting to roll back an important precedent affecting fishery allocations.

CCA Florida worked with FWC and the South Atlantic council to stop wide bottom closures off of Florida’s east coast.

CCA Florida worked with other organizations to oppose the right whale slow speed zones.

CCA Florida and the Duke Energy Mariculture Center have restocked 40,000 trout and 205,000 redfish to date.

CCA Florida successfully completed 12 habitat projects in 2022 including oyster reef restoration projects, oyster restoration studies, living shorelines, artificial reef deployments, and clam restoration projects.

CCA Florida and our National habitat program, the Building Conservation Trust, have contributed over $1.2 million since 2010 for habitat restoration projects around the state.  These funds have been leveraged with our partners to create over $9 million in habitat restoration projects in Florida.

CCA Florida’s growing oyster recycling program now has several restaurants currently donating their oyster shells to the tune of over 1 ton of oysters per week.  To date, over 100 tons of oyster shells have been collected by CCA volunteers and 60 tons have been returned to the water for restoration projects in Hernando, Manatee, Volusia, Brevard, Charlotte, Lee and Collier Counties.

CCA Florida deployed 7 new artificial reefs in 2022 around the state of Florida while contributing over $140,000.

CCA Florida conducted 6 coastal cleanups around the state in 2022, and to date has removed over 75 tons of trash and marine debris along the coast.

CCA Florida and our partners at FWC, University of Florida and Blair Wiggins Outdoors have re-seeded over 1 million clams back into the Indian River Lagoon in 2022, and re-seeded a total of 15 million clams since 2018.