TALLAHASSEE - Because of the large number of oil containment booms and cleanup equipment being deployed around the state in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Boating and Waterways Section is asking boaters to slow down where …

TALLAHASSEE - The recreational harvest season for red snapper in Gulf of Mexico waters off Florida reopens on June 1.  The harvest season is scheduled to remain open until July 24 this year.

Anglers may take two red snapper daily from Gulf waters during the open …

TALLAHASSEE - The recreational and commercial harvest of shallow-water groupers (including gag, black grouper, red grouper, scamp, red hind, rock hind, coney, graysby, yellowfin grouper, yellowmouth grouper and tiger grouper) will reopen on May 1 in all Atlantic Ocean and Monroe County waters.  The harvest …

Monkey Might Well Have Herpes
TALLAHASSEE - The elusive rhesus macaque monkey darting around the Tampa Bay area and cheered on by 60,000 Facebook fans is generating a lot of banter.  However, wildlife officials caution that this monkey is highly stressed and potentially very dangerous, and is …

TALLAHASSEE - As of March 19, biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) have documented 431 manatee carcasses in state waters so far in 2010. This preliminary data indicates that in just three months, the number of …

TALLAHASSEE – Gov. Charlie Crist and the Florida Cabinet approved an option agreement today between the state of Florida and the Alachua Conservation Trust, Inc. to expand recreational opportunities and conserve precious natural resources. The 500 acres located southeast of Gainesville is a critical addition to the Paynes Prairie Preserve …

TALLAHASSEE - In order to continue to offset state tax revenues, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Park Service will increase park fees beginning Wednesday, July 1, 2009, in conjunction with the state’s fiscal calendar.

“Florida’s award-winning state parks provide inexpensive, high quality recreation in an unmatched natural setting,” said …

TALLAHASSEE - It’s gator season; this season about 6,000 gator killing permits will be available.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will use new permit-application procedures this year to resolve past permit issuance problems for the highly popular statewide alligator hunt.
In Phase I of the new process, applications will be …