COMMISSIONERS GIVE NOD TO FLORIDA BASS CONSERVATION CENTER

NEWS RELEASE

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

COMMISSIONERS GIVE NOD TO BASS CONSERVATION CENTER

DATE: January 23, 2002
CONTACT: Ed Moyer (850) 488-0331

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) today in Tallahassee gave thumbs up to a $3.3 million proposal to build a Florida Bass Conservation Center at Richloam Fish Hatchery in Sumter County near Webster.

When completed, the Bass Conservation Center would be a state-of-the-art freshwater fish hatchery and research facility dedicated to the propagation and conservation of the unique Florida subspecies of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides floridanus. This species is native only to the southern two-thirds of the Florida peninsula and is sought highly by anglers due to its greater potential to reach trophy size.

Ed Moyer, director of the FWC's Division of Freshwater Fisheries, said significant fish hatchery improvements are needed to address current challenges in largemouth bass management. Commissioners' approval of the bass center is the first step in acquiring the funding needed to upgrade the agency's outdated bass production technology.

The FWC's Richloam hatchery, built in 1965, is the state's principal producer of freshwater fish for stocking. Due to outdated ponds and incubation facilities, Richloam's technology severely limits the agency's capacity to spawn, rear and harvest largemouth bass efficiently.

The bass center would enable us to undertake large-scale stocking programs to restore Florida bass populations in lakes where significant habitat improvements are not feasible, Moyer said. We've got the best bass resources in the country, and it makes sense for us to be on the cutting edge of bass management and hatchery culture to enable Florida to maintain its status as the Fishing Capital of the World.

The estimated cost of the improvements is $8.8 million over two years, with construction beginning this year. Construction of covered raceways (flowing water tank system) and fish house should take two years. The FWC also is seeking private funding to construct and operate a visitor's facility at the bass center. The visitor's facility would feature information and exhibits on largemouth bass, freshwater fishes, aquatic ecology and modern fish hatchery operation and technology. Public fishing and interpretive trails would complement the indoor exhibits.

2003 Update
Bass Values
Bass Facts
FBCC Proposal Update, by Herb Allen
FBCC Funding Approved by FWC
FBCC Economic Impact
FBCC Opinion Survey
FBCC Power Point Presentation, by Ed Moyer (This is a large file viewed best with IE 4 or better)
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