Florida Black Bass Management Plan Yields Angler Benefits

[FloridaFishinFool]

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Feb. 4, 2016 

Florida Fish Busters’ Bulletin 
February 2016

Suggested Tweet: Black #Bass Management in #Florida yields benefits for anglers! http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLFFWCC/bulletins/1346e7e #TrophyCatch #Fishing

Photos available on FWC’s Flickr site: https://flic.kr/s/aHsktKrPYM

 

 

Black Bass Management Plan yields angler benefits

By Bob Wattendorf

Progress has been made in all four major areas targeted in the Florida Black Bass Management Plan: new opportunities, habitat management, fish management and human dimensions.

The Florida Black Bass Management Plan (see bit.ly/FL-BBMP) was approved almost five years ago by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), after fisheries biologists gathered and weighed input from anglers, businesses, university researchers and other conservation professionals.

New opportunities: Fellsmere Water Management Area is on its way to becoming a 10,000-acre bass-fishing hotspot. Now that the FWC has overseen construction of boat launching facilities, planting of desirable aquatic plants and bottom sculpting to create drop offs, islands and other fish and wildlife habitat, the St. Johns River Water Management District is allowing the reservoir to fill. As an added bonus, more than a million fingerling-sized bass will have been stocked by the time it fills. In the near future, these modifications will allow Fellsmere to become one of the best bass fisheries in the country. Fellsmere is adjacent to the world-renowned Farm 13/Stick Marsh bass fishery, making the area a desireable destination for anglers.

Habitat management: Another key element of the plan is a new Hydrilla Position Statement. Matt Phillips, from the Invasive Plant Management Section, said, “This new policy allows hydrilla to be managed on a waterbody-specific basis, using a risk-based approach rather than the previous mandate to reduce hydrilla to the lowest level possible.”

Want to see what’s happening on your favorite lake? Visit the “What’s Happening on Your Lake” webpage (see bit.ly/FWC-plants), to find detailed aquatic plant management schedules.

Habitat work also continues statewide, using grants to implement a variety of Aquatic Resource Habitat Enhancement projects, including drawdowns and dredging to remove muck, and other strategies. In addition, FWC staff and partners are adding popular fish attractors or gravel spawning beds to enhance recreational fishing.

Fish management: Fish stocking, along with ongoing research to increase survival of fish stocked into the wild, is a prime example of this aspect of the Plan. The Florida Bass Conservation Center in Sumter County and Blackwater Fish Hatchery in Santa Rosa County continue to produce quality fish for stocking public waters. Over the last five seasons nearly 19 million fish have been stocked into more than 250 public water bodies. All were recreational species, including bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, crappie, catfish, striped bass and sunshine bass.

Research is also being completed to evaluate whether angling for spawning bass (aka bed fishing) has a negative impact on natural reproduction. So far, results suggest that catching bass off their spawning beds poses little risk to a lake’s bass population in Florida.

Human dimensions: Combining fish management efforts, growing knowledge about bass biology and impacts from angler harvest with public engagement led to a complete review of current black bass regulations. This exemplifies how applying the science of human dimensions to the Black Bass Management Plan benefits anglers and fisheries.

It all comes back to you. A two-year process of integrating public attitudes and desires with fish population studies resulted in a new approach to simplify statewide regulations while managing harvest to produce more trophy-sized bass. FWC Commissioners will consider this proposal at their February Commission meeting outside of Tallahassee (see bit.ly/FWC-Havana).

The plan’s signature new program ̶  TrophyCatch  ̶  completed its third year and is providing fisheries managers and researchers with valuable information. TrophyCatch is a citizen-science approach to encourage catching, documenting and releasing largemouth bass over 8 pounds. By providing anglers with sponsored incentives, a website gallery of catches and information on proper handling of these prized fish, TrophyCatch has documented release of more than 3,000 trophy bass back into Florida waters. The program is helping to conserve these valuable fish and to promote Florida as the “Bass Fishing Capital of the World.”

Research at the Florida Bass Conservation Center is comparing handling approaches for big bass to see how different methods affect them. Whether held vertically by the jaw, or cradled in two hands horizontally, there were no notable problems with dislocated jaws or reduced survival. Attaining more genetic samples from TrophyCatch bass, along with a tagging study, will help document future recapture of individual fish to prove survival. An angler this year provided an interesting video of catching a trophy bass on a shiner, weighing it by the jaw, taking a fin clip and releasing it – and then coming back 15 minutes later and catching it again (seebit.ly/TrophyCatch_Double-Take).

By going to TrophyCatchFlorida.com anglers can register, submit fish and examine trophy catches from around the state. The FWC will continue to evaluate methods for handling, documenting and conserving bass to ensure the best survival possible and that increased pressure on trophy bass does not adversely impact the numbers or size of future trophy populations in Florida.

Instant licenses are available at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com or by calling 888-FISH-FLORIDA (347-4356). Report violators by calling 888-404-3922, *FWC or #FWC on your cell phone, or texting to Tip@MyFWC.com. Visit MyFWC.com/ and select “News,” then “Monthly Columns,” or bit.ly/FishBusters for more Fish Busters’ Bulletins. To subscribe to FWC columns or to receive news releases, visit MyFWC.com/Contact.

[N Florida Mike]

Great information kent.

[FloridaFishinFool]

Thanks Mike! I am on their list and get the updates so I figured I'd share them here too.

I am really looking forward to fishing the newly flooded 10,000 acre area recently developed by the state for fishing. It should be a big bass producer soon enough! Here is some more info on what all the state of Florida is doing for us bass fishermen!

The Black Bass Management Plan!

http://www.myfwc.com/fishing/freshwater/black-bass/

The final  Florida Black Bass Management Plan can be reviewed online, or printed using the links below, along with summary materials and background information. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission approved this plan at a public meeting in St. Augustine, Florida, on June 9, 2011.

We would like to thank the thousands of anglers who provided input either in person, or via surveys to help ensure this plan included a broad public perspective.  We also greatly appreciate the hard work of the Technical Assistance Group (TAG) that helped interpret the public input and merge it with our best scientific recommendations to develop the plan.

The TAG was comprised of representatives from a variety of public stakeholder segments such as avid anglers, tackle shop owners, lure manufacturers, tournament anglers, fishing guides, outdoor writers, university researchers and tourism destination marketers. We heard from more than 7,500 people, who completed either the first or second survey (or both) or spoke with our biologists.

The complete plan can be downloaded if you choose. There are also simple 3-panel (letter-sized) and 4-panel (legal-sized) brochures summarizing the plan. See links below.

Together we will ensure Florida is the undisputed "Bass Fishing Capital of the World," thus helping significantly to enhance the habitat not only for bass but for all aquatic species and people. Promoting the quality of our fisheries will also tourists and generate the next generation the cares further helping our economy and local businesses and improving the quality of life for families and children by getting them involved in a lifetime of healthy, outdoor recreation.

Thank you for joining us in this effort,

Tom Champeau, Director
Division of Freshwater Fisheries Management

 

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Black Bass Management Plan (June 2011 PDF Files):

• On-Line Version of the full Florida Black Bass Management Plan.
• Three-Panel (Letter-sized) Brochure--A brief overview of the plan, for general public ( 1.3MB).
• Four-Panel (Legal-sized) Brochure--A slightly more detailed overview of the plan, for fishing clubs and businesses ( 1.6MB).
• Florida Black Bass Management Plan--The complete plan with introductory materials and all of the action items, including annotated references, for scientists, students, sponsors and enthusiasts ( 4.1MB).
• Rack Card--Used for providing the public very general information and a link to this site ( 256KB).

 Black Bass Management Plan First Year Updates:

More than a year after the Black Bass Management Plan was approved by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in June 2011, much progress has been made towards fulfilling the goals of the BBMP. The First Year Updates Report summarizes this progress, and provides links to detailed reports on individual Plan components.

 

Background Materials (Archives):

• First Draft Florida Black Bass Management Plan ( 400kb; Printable)

• Appendix I - Survey Results 
• Appendix II - Team Members 
• Appendix III - Communications Plan 
• Appendix IV - Pro/Con Dialogue 

• December 2009 - Initial announcement of the initiative
• April 2010 (125KB) - Information on efforts to collect public input.
• May-Jun 2010 Update (21KB)
• June 2010 - Information on the current status of Florida's bass fishery.
• July 2010 - Survey results and first Technical Assistance Group Meeting

Powerpoint with first Survey Results presented to the TAG group, June 2010  (324KB)

Powerpoint update presented to FWC Commissioners, June 2010  (2.2MB)

Powerpoint submission to FWC Commissioners, June 2011  (2.2MB)

Fellsmere Water Management Area

The Fellsmere Water Management Area is a component of the Upper St. Johns River Basin Project, and will add an additional 10,000 acres of restored wetlands to the headwaters of the St. Johns River. This land, formerly owned by Sun-Ag Inc., was previously used for pasture, citrus and row crops. Now, the wetlands will become the primary source of irrigation water supply for the remaining agricultural lands owned by Sun-Ag Inc. Anticipated project completion is in September 2016.

The benefits

The Fellsmere Water Management Area will:

• Restore agricultural land to wetlands, reducing the annual amount of phosphorus and chloride flowing to the upper St. Johns River.
• Result in a mosaic of wetland types that will provide habitat for a large number of species, including migratory waterfowl and listed species.
• Decrease the frequency of freshwater discharges through the C-54 canal to the lagoon to less than a 1-in-100-year storm event.
• Conserve groundwater that is currently being withdrawn from the Floridan aquifer.
• Augment dry season flows to the St. Johns River, enhancing downstream aquatic environments.
• Increase water storage in the Blue Cypress Lake watershed.

[soflabasser]

Thank you for posting this!