Caution: Life is good
A long ago newspaper published on Anna Maria Island in the 1960s for a small local audience proclaimed, “Where life is peaceful, and fishing is good.”
It’s as true today as ever. And T-shirts and Web sites and just about anyone who resides here for even a day proclaim it as much as ever.
The fishing is great. It’s not what it was 50 or so years ago when the small paper was circulating among the 2,000 or so residents, but that’s because even fishing has evolved over the years.
There are safeguards to protect from over-fishing, closed and open seasons on some species and size limits, too. There are rules aplenty, that’s for sure.
It’s hard to know for certain if you can keep a pinfish, let alone the frequent catches of trout, snapper, grouper, redfish and snook — the good stuff.
Right now, the water temperature in the bays and Gulf of Mexico are running high and one might think the catch will come to the boat already cooked up.
Even when you can’t catch a bite to eat, there’s sport, and the fishing guides are hot on the tarpon, bonito and sharks that are plying our warm, blue waters.
And there are plenty of boaters on the water, too.
One important thing to remember on the water, is that you share the waterway as much as you share the roadway.
Boaters share with manatees, and manatee zones are important.
Watercraft is a leading cause of death for this endangered marine mammal and, so far, just this year, 240 manatees have died, 42 from boat strikes.
Along with the Save The Manatee Club, we hope you can help protect the giant, quiet, lumbering, grazing sea cows that call our waters home.
Make sure you know your way on the water, observe “Slow Manatee Zone” signs, and be certain everyone on your boat is vigilant in keeping an eye out for signs of manatees.
Keep these Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission numbers handy and call if you see a manatee in distress: 1-888-404-3922, #FWC or *FWC on cellular phones, or VHF channel 16 on a marine radio.
Visit www.islander.org for more information on manatees, how to recognize signs of manatee distress, and a link to the Save The Manatee Club.
For more information
For more information about protecting the endangered manatee in Florida, visit the Save the Manatee Club’s Web site at www.savethemanatee.org.
Adopt-A-Manatee! Go to www.savethemanatee.org/adoptpag.htm.
The Club also encourages the public to take a boating safety course. For more information on classes, go to Save the Manatee Club’s website at the “Manatee Protection Tips for Boaters” page found at http://www.savethemanatee.org/boatertips.htm.
Florida marinas, dive shops, parks, and businesses that are interested in obtaining a free “Boat Safely” manatee conservation poster should contact Save the Manatee Club via e-mail at education@savethemanatee.org, by regular mail at 500 N. Maitland Ave., Maitland FL 32751, or by calling toll free at 1-800-432-JOIN (5646). Please include your contact information along with full information on where the poster will be displayed.
Florida boaters can also request a free “Please Slow: Manatees Below” waterproof yellow banner at The Islander newspaper office, 5404 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, or by contacting Save the Manatee Club via e-mail at education@savethemanatee.org. Include mailing information along with the area where you boat in Florida. The banners can be used to quickly alert other boaters that manatees are present in the area. |
