The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) 2019-2020 High School Fishing Program offers high school fishing clubs or teams the opportunity to apply for the Florida Sport Fish Restoration R3 Fishing Grant. This grant program is focused on recruiting new anglers, retaining active anglers and reactivating lapsed anglers to ensure the future of fishing […]
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is reminding people to help prevent conflicts with bears by securing garbage and other items that might attract these animals. In the fall, Florida black bears begin preparing for the winter by consuming extra calories to pack on fat. During this time, they will eat anything that’s […]
Two people were arrested for allegedly harvesting saw palmetto berries. According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, as of last July, a permit is required to harvest the berries in Florida. The two were harvesting the berries after midnight on Friday in the vicinity of the Baseline Trailhead Park when they were […]
With so much rain and rising water comes Florida nature. Imagine finding a cottonmouth, a.k.a water moccasin, a.k.a viper, right outside the door of your home. Well, on Tuesday, that is exactly what happened to one woman and her little boy. At first, her little boy thought it was a black snake. However, when the […]
The recreational harvest season for snook starts Sept. 1 statewide, with the exception of state waters from the Pasco-Hernando county line south to Gordon Pass in Collier County. These waters remain closed to harvest due to impacts from a severe red tide in 2018. Unique to the region, snook is one of the many reasons […]
Recreational bay scallop season for Franklin through the northwestern portion of Taylor, as well as Levy, Citrus, and Hernando counties opens July 1 and will remain open through September 24. This includes Carrabelle, Lanark, St. Marks, Cedar Key, Crystal River, and Homosassa. Rules Do not discard scallop shells in inshore waters commonly used for recreational […]
Florida — Fifteen eastern indigo snakes, listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, has just been released in northern Florida as part of a continuing collaborative plan to return the important, native, non-venomous apex predator to the region. This effort marks the third year in a row that snakes raised specifically for the recovery […]
At its September meeting in Tallahassee, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) directed staff to expand a recent mandatory catch-and-release only measure for snook and redfish due to red tide. The mandatory catch-and-release ruling will begin on September 28, 2018, through May 10, 2019. The areas include Gordon Pass in Collier County and […]
The Gulf of Mexico gag grouper recreational season in state waters off Franklin, Wakulla, Jefferson, and Taylor counties will be open for harvest September 1, through December 31. The season for all other Gulf state and federal waters is June 1 through December 31. The minimum size limit for gag grouper is 24 inches total […]
Celebrate summer at Crystal River’s scallop festival. The festival will feature live music, bounce houses, karaoke, beer, arts and crafts, a variety of foods, a scallop cook-off, Battle of the Bands, contests, inflatable slide with water slide, seafood, pony rides, and so much more! Location: Kings Bay Park, 268 NW 3rd St, Crystal River, FL […]