FWC News

Showing 101 through 110 of 1220 articles

• FWC Lionfish Challenge celebrates 10-year anniversary with this year’s winners!

  Monday, September 22, 2025 -  Over 500 divers embarked on 1,104 dive trips to remove over 30,000 invasive lionfish during the summer-long tournament.

• Cast your imagination: Florida Fish Art Contest now open

  Tuesday, September 9, 2025 -  This annual program invites kids in grades K-12 from across Florida to connect with nature and learn about our native fish and aquatic habitats, while exploring creative art and writing.

• Bear harvest permit applications open Sept. 12

  Tuesday, September 9, 2025 -  Bear harvest permit applications for the 2025 regulated bear hunting season will open at 10 a.m. EDT on Sept. 12 and can be submitted through Sept. 22 at 11:59 p.m. A bear harvest permit is required to harvest a bear in one of the four selected Bear Harvest Zones from Dec. 6-28. A hunting license is also required to hunt bears, unless exempt.

• Florida Panther PES Pilot Program wraps up enrollment, looks ahead

  Monday, September 8, 2025 -  This initiative rewards private landowners with per-acre payments for providing habitat conditions that support panther conservation and landscape connectivity.

• Governor Ron DeSantis Announces First-Ever Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday  

  Monday, September 8, 2025 -  The Governor also announced several sportsman initiatives designed to save Floridians money during the tax holiday. 

• Temporary closure of Gulf County Zone for 2025 regional bay scallop season

  Thursday, September 4, 2025 -  This precautionary measure is due to the detection of toxin-producing algae Pseudo-nitzschia and Pyrodinium bahamense.

• FWC wants your input on the future management of the spotted seatrout fishery

  Tuesday, September 2, 2025 -  This includes adopting a holistic management approach for spotted seatrout where a review of various environmental and human factors is used to evaluate the fishery at a more local scale.

• FWC seeks public feedback on proposed rule changes for green iguanas 

  Tuesday, September 2, 2025 -  The proposed changes to Chapter 68-5, Florida Administrative Code will be discussed at the virtual public meetings, including alternative considerations for outdoor caging and biosecurity for live, wild-caught green iguanas possessed for sales, as well as live green iguanas possessed for exhibition and research.

• Gulf red snapper private recreational fall season opens Sept. 1

  Thursday, August 28, 2025 -  Florida’s ability to offer this season is made possible by the data-driven management approach of the Florida State Reef Fish Survey and angler participation in SRFS.

• Recreational harvest of snook in all east coast and most west coast management regions opens Sept. 1  

  Wednesday, August 27, 2025 -  The management regions are part of the FWC's holistic approach for managing Florida’s most popular inshore fisheries.