Revised Artificial Reef Strategic Plan Draft

Artificial Reef Strategic Plan (revised October 17, 2003)

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Division of Marine Fisheries Management

October 17, 2003

INTRODUCTION

During the late spring and summer of 2003, four public workshops were held in the cities of Jacksonville, Hollywood, Sarasota, and Destin.  Written comments were accepted from April 4 through October 10, 2003.  The attached agenda report summarizes the public comments received during testimony at the public workshops and in writing during the notice period (indicated by strikethroughs and underlines).   

The revised plan will be presented to the Commission for approval on November 20, 2003 at the Hawk’s Cay Resort in Duck Key, FL. The meeting is open to the public.  For the agenda and more information on the upcoming Commission meeting, please see http://myfwc.com/commission/index.html.

SUMMARY OF PUBLIC WORKSHOP AND WRITTEN COMMENTS

• In general there was support for the plan development and the goals of the strategic artificial reef plan.
  
  

• Participants emphasized the importance of fisheries enhancement as a priority for artificial reef development, and encouraged the use of innovative ideas to create artificial reefs that would receive little or no fishing pressure.  
  
  

• Unpublished sites alone are not adequate to facilitate stock enhancement objectives. 
  
  

• Inquiries were made about the operational implementation of the goals, and some questioned the practicality and contradictory nature of some objectives. 
  
  

• Most of the draft changes made to the plan by the Commission at the March 27, 2003 Commission meeting in Tallahassee were recommended to be reverted back to the original language as written by the Artificial Reef Advisory Board.

   

REFERENCE DOCUMENTS FOR REVISED STRATEGIC PLAN 

1)      1. Revised Artificial Reef Strategic Plan (Agenda Report 131.1 KB)

2)      2. Unabridged summary of public comments (written and workshop public testimony)  (236.5KB)

3)      3. Written comments received during notice period (2.1 MB)

 

Audio Files from Meetings

Destin
Hollywood
Jacksonville
Sarasota

4)  

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