Things I couldn’t make up if I tried, continued, BP Oil Spill category, day 47 :
From the Florida Department of Tourism, Friday, June 4th, 2010
Pending castastrophe special:
http://www.visitflorida.com/fl…
Florida Travel Update
Updated June 4, 2010 1:45 p.m.
There have been confirmed tar ball sightings in widely scattered areas east of Pensacola. Additional impacts are expected in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties within the next 72 hours.
At this time, there are no beach closures. Florida’s 825 miles of beaches, 1,260 miles of coastline and 14 seaports, including cruise ships, remain open for business.
At this time, Florida’s state waters remain open to recreational fishing. On June 5 and 6, both residents and nonresidents of Florida may fish for saltwater species around the state without a license. Go to www.MyFWC.com/Fishing for more information.
VISIT FLORIDA believes that planning your Sunshine State vacation should be the beginning of a great experience. If you’re concerned about any potential impact from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, we encourage you to check with local destinations in order to get the most up-to-date information. To make it easy, we’re providing you links below.
For the state’s official response to the oil spill: www.dep.state.fl.us/deepwaterhorizon/
For official trajectory and forecast information, visit NOAA’s site.
If it gets noticeable, we’ll just go to catch and release
(pdf) from Florida Fish and Wildlife, Friday, June 4, 2010
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/dee…
Fishing advisory issued for Escambia, Santa Rosa Okaloosa and Walton counties
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) advises anglers and boaters in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties in northwest Florida that oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill could soon reach coastal waters of these counties. Oil spill trajectory projections conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) indicate that these areas could experience some amount of oiling in the next 72 hours, but these projections carry a certain degree of uncertainty.
In addition to the NOAA projections, the FWC is conducting airborne and waterborne surveillance to definitively establish oil presence and extent to guide management actions. In the interim, FWC cautions people to avoid any oil they might encounter on the water while fishing or boating.
The FWC, along with partnering agencies and fishery stakeholders, is keeping a close watch on coastal waters in northwest Florida and is prepared to prohibit the harvest of fish if oil has contaminated the water to the point where it is not safe to consume fish. The FWC will decide whether to close a specific area to the harvest of fish based on a visual assessment that confirms there is a significant amount of oil on the surface of the water.
If a closure is necessary, it will be as small as possible and would prohibit all commercial and recreational harvest and possession of fish within clear and describable boundaries. Catch-and-release fishing would still be allowed in a closed harvest area. Closed harvesting areas will reopen as soon as possible but only after an official determination is made that the consumption of fish from those waters is safe. Any consideration of shellfish closures would be coordinated closely with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
It is also important to note that oil has not affected most of Florida and there are still vast areas open to fishing and other recreational opportunities. The FWC encourages everyone to go fishing where the waters are clear and to enjoy freshly harvested Florida seafood products.
Updated information regarding fishing advisories or harvest closures in Florida due to the BP oil spill will be posted online at http://myfwc.com/OilSpill/inde…
And you can go oyster mucking tomorrow, too.
(pdf) from Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commisioner and Florida Fish & Wildlife, Friday, June 4,2010
State announces extra harvesting day for Apalachicola oysters
Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H.
Bronson and Chairman Rodney Barreto of the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission (FWC) announced Friday that the summer oyster
harvesting areas in the Apalachicola Bay System will now include harvest on
Saturdays, giving fishermen six days of harvesting per week.
The summer oyster areas are normally closed for harvest on Fridays and
Saturdays in June, July and August, and this is the first time that the two agencies,
which jointly manage oyster resources in Florida, have implemented this change.
The decision to open Apalachicola Bay to oyster harvesting on Saturdays comes a
day after Bronson sent a letter to the FWC seeking the change and in response to
requests by representatives of the oyster industry for an increase in harvesting
days.
“We are pleased to support Commissioner Bronson in this effort to help the
hard working people in Florida’s oyster industry,” Barreto said.
Staff of both agencies will continue to closely monitor Bay water quality,
oyster harvest, oyster handling and oyster processing to ensure oysters resources
are protected and are safe to consume.
“This action should be viewed by the citizens of Florida and the United States
that Gulf of Mexico seafood in restaurants and markets is safe,” Bronson said.
“With demand for safe Gulf oysters at a peak, this action will benefit both our oyster
industry and consumers alike.”
Every year about this time, I feel the need to write something about pride. Or maybe I should capitalize that to Pride. The first is more personally and the second describes the month, sort of officially. But is there really any difference?