NEWS RELEASE

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

22 October, 1997

CONTACT: Mike Hulon (407) 846-5300

GFC TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING IN KISSIMMEE

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is holding a public meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 28 to update citizens on the status of the 1998 Alligator Chain/Lake Gentry Habitat Enhancement Project and to discuss newly proposed regulations that would affect black crappie in Florida.

The Alligator Chain/Lake Gentry Enhancement Project is a $1.1 million lake restoration project that is designed to improve fish and wildlife habitat, flood control and lake front property values on lakes Trout, Center, Coon, Lizzie, Alligator and Gentry in Osceola County. The project is a joint effort of the FWC and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), and will involve removing more than 450,000 cubic yards of muck along 18 miles of shoreline of the affected lakes.

Black crappie (speckled perch) will be the topic of the second half of the meeting where biologists will discuss a proposed statewide regulation change that would reduce the daily harvest of black crappie from 50 to 25 fish.

Currently anglers can keep 50 panfish a day including bluegill, black crappie, redear sunfish (shellcracker), spotted sunfish (stumpknockers), warmouth and redfin pickerel, individually or in total. The proposed regulation would remove crappie from this aggregate bag and establish a separate 25 crappie per day bag, while the panfish limit of 50 per day (excluding crappie) would remain in effect.

The meeting will be held from 7-9 p.m., in the Cypress Room at the Kissimmee Civic Center, 201 Dakin Ave., in Kissimmee. The public is encouraged to attend this informative meeting and discussion.