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Tag: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

  • Florida closes recreational fishing of grouper in January

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    Grouper, snapper and pompano sit on ice at Brooks Dockside Seafood in Inglis, Florida on Thursday, May 1, 2025.

    Grouper, snapper and pompano sit on ice at Brooks Dockside Seafood in Inglis, Florida on Thursday, May 1, 2025.


    Kylie Williams

    WUFT News

    Florida recreational anglers will face seasonal fishing closures beginning Jan. 1, 2026, as part of annual marine fisheries management measures aimed at protecting spawning fish populations.

    The recreational fishing of shallow water grouper will close in Atlantic state waters, reopening May 1, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

    The annual spawning season closure affects species such as black, gag, yellowfin, scamp, red and rock hind grouper, among others.

    FWC officials say the closures are designed to protect reef fish during critical spawning periods and to support long-term sustainability of popular species.

    The agency is also encouraging anglers to participate in the State Reef Fish Survey, which collects recreational fishing data used to assess stock health and guide management decisions.

    More information on current regulations is available through FWC’s website and the Fish Rules App.

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    Luisa Yanez

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  • Man arrested over sea turtle eggs, drugs in Flagler County

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    A man in the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility is facing charges related to drugs and sea turtle eggs.

    Flagler County deputies say Wesley Winters, 53, was found parked in front of a home in Beverly Beach that he was not supposed to be at due to a temporary no-contact order.

    The deputy at Sunday’s arrest said several white and tan orbs covered in sand were in a tray on the floorboard. They were quickly identified as sea turtle eggs, so the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was called in.

    The sheriff’s office said methamphetamine, fentanyl, marijuana, an alprazolam pill, marijuana bowls and a THC vape pen were also found.

    The sheriff’s office said before FWC arrived, Winters told the deputy the eggs were from two nests that had eroded away, and he had picked them up after seeing them washing down the beach. He reportedly said he knew the eggs were unhatched but believed they were nonviable.

    Winters was arrested by the deputy on charges of possession of fentanyl, possession of methamphetamine, possession of alprazolam, possession of marijuana (20 grams or less), possession of drug paraphernalia and violation of a no-contact order.

    The FWC arrested Winters on five misdemeanor counts of knowingly possessing 11 or fewer marine turtle eggs and five felony counts of taking, disturbing, mutilating or destroying marine turtle eggs.

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  • Florida official pushes new state bird, wants to drop mockingbird

    Florida official pushes new state bird, wants to drop mockingbird

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    click to enlarge

    Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Chairman Rodney Barreto wants the wildlife agency to renew efforts to designate a “state bird” that is unique to Florida.

    “The state bird of Florida is the (northern) mockingbird. However, five other states have the mockingbird as the state bird,” Barreto said Thursday during a commission meeting in Daytona Beach. “I’ve got to believe we can find a bird that is different than five other states.”

    Barreto recalled the agency holding a contest with fourth- and fifth-grade students about designating a new state bird. “I want to kinda dust that off” with a new process “and come up with something,” Barreto said.

    In 2008, a commission project led to more than 77,000 students voting on a new state bird as a tie-in with that year’s presidential election. The commission backed a change in the 2009 legislative session and revived the effort in 2022. But the northern mockingbird has maintained its perch as Florida’s avian symbol, which it has held since 1927.

    Bills backing the scrub jay have made several appearances in recent sessions. This year, a Senate committee voted 3-2 to support a bill (SB 918) that would have designated the flamingo, but the bill subsequently died.

    Among the most influential supporters of keeping the mockingbird has been former longtime National Rifle Association lobbyist Marion Hammer.

    “Since being designated the state bird in 1927, the mockingbird is a well-established, independent, prolific bird that has never needed government protection or our tax dollars to survive,” Hammer wrote in a 2021 opinion piece. “It can be seen, watched, studied and enjoyed by children and adults in all areas of Florida.”

    Texas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas also have the northern mockingbird as their state birds.

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    News Service of Florida

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