Tour boat captains, who earlier this year organized into a group dedicated to stopping the illegal harvest of marine organisms in Sarasota Bay, recently reported evidence of more poaching.
Capt. Joey Sweet of Sweet Sunsets and Dolphin Tours spoke to The Islander June 13 regarding some recent sightings and also the work of the Habitat Guardian Group.
He recounted a trip where he and Bruce Adamo of Passage Key Dolphin Tours observed a sandbar full of live fighting conchs at north Jewfish Key. They returned a day later to find only the shells. The animals had been removed.
“They were there everywhere, alive, and then we came back and just found piles of the empty shells. So someone came out there during the low tide, which occurred around 11 p.m. to midnight that particular day,” Sweet said.
“If they are doing it at nighttime, that shows a particular determination on their part to do this and make sure that they are not going to be observed,” Sweet added.
Sweet said boat captains also have seen boats previously associated with poaching.
While Capt. Katie Tupin of Captain Katie Scarlett Boat Tours told The Islander June 14 that pontoon boats with hull numbers previously recorded for poaching were on sandbars near Jewfish Key.
“The last week and a half we had super high tides, which draws them away,” Tupin said. “When the tide schedule goes back to normal and it’s really low, we’ll see more.”
In 2023, the captains said they documented widespread instances of illegal sea life harvesting, often involving groups of up to 60 people.
“It’s not been anything like what we started to see last year,” Sweet said of the recent activity. But, he added, “We are coming up on the anniversary of what happened last year.”
On July 4, 2023, shellfish poachers were cited due to the observations of the captains, who reported them to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers.
The group has worked since to compile and submit video and photographic evidence to the FWC for investigation. Their work has yielded more than 20 citations to 11 boat owners since July 2023.
The group also has made efforts to reach out to other law enforcement agencies and conservation groups to bring pressure to bear on poachers.
According to the guides, the poachers target edible shellfish and deplete supplies of whelks, clams, pen shells, sea urchins and other bottom-dwelling species. Such a decline disrupts the ecosystem and poses a threat to the livelihoods of local fishers and tour operators who rely on the resources for business.
Sweet said it is important not to villainize people legally harvesting species.
In Manatee County, a person may not harvest or possess more than two shells per day — including echinoderms, such as sand dollars and starfish — containing live organisms of any single species except oysters, hard clams, sunray venus clams and coquinas.
“We have to make sure that people understand, people are legally allowed to go out and harvest things like clams and certain other species,” Sweet said.
Sweet said the captains are working to establish their Habitat Guardian Group as a nonprofit.
He also intends to schedule an HGG meeting for late June or early July.
“My goal was to be able to have a meeting by June, so that we would be able to kick off in July,” he said.
People interested in the Habitat Guardian Group can contact Sweet at 941-773-7298.