Gainesville Open House to Gather Input on Florida FWC Bass Regulations
Tell the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) what you think about bass-fishing regulations. Fisheries biologists with the FWC are looking for angler input.
An open house where anglers can voice their opinions will be March 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Gary’s Tackle Box, 5721 NW 13th St. in Gainesville.
“This is an opportunity for anglers to provide their thoughts and ideas about Florida largemouth bass regulations. Should they stay the same? Should changes be made? You tell us,” said Allen Martin, regional freshwater fisheries biologist for the FWC.
The open house will enable the public to come in, talk to biologists and let FWC staff know what they think.
“Anglers are welcome to come into the open house at any point. There’s no set schedule. You can come in for 10 minutes or stay for an hour,” Martin said. “The open house format is casual and for angler input about bass regulations only. We want people to let us know what they think.”
Additional open houses are scheduled around the state as follows (all are from 5-8 p.m.):
March 19 – Ocala
Gander Mountain
3970 SW 3rd St.
March 22 – Lake Mary
Gander Mountain
3750 Flagg Lane
April 1 – Jacksonville
Gander Mountain
13075 City Square Drive
April 2 – St. Augustine
Gander Mountain
550 Prime Outlets Blvd.
April 9 – Tallahassee
Academy Sports
3122-9 Mahan Drive
For more information, go to the Largemouth Bass Regulations Review page at MyFWC.com/Fishing.
The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission came into existence on July 1, 1999 - the result of a constitutional amendment approved in the 1998 General Election as part of the package proposed by the Constitution Revision Commission.
In the implementation of the Constitutional Amendment, the Florida Legislature combined all of the staff and Commissioners of the former Marine Fisheries Commission, elements of the Divisions of Marine Resources and Law Enforcement of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and all of the employees and Commissioners of the former Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission.
Five years later, after consulting stakeholders, employees and other interested parties, the FWC adopted a new internal structure to address complex conservation issues of the new century. The new structure focuses on programs, such as habitat management, that affect numerous species. It will focus on moving the decision-making process closer to the public and did not require any additional funding or additional positions.
