4 January Monthly Program: “Florida’s Fisheries- Independent Monitoring Program: Implications for Management and a Glimpse at Efforts from the Panhandle Region and Beyond” by David A Gandy, fishery scientist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Apalachicola Bay Field Lab, East Point, Fl. Florida’s fisheries are a critical link in the maintenance of a healthy ecosystem for the benefit of mankind and the natural environment. Fisheries management is a complex process that integrates data from commercial and recreational fisheries, and scientific surveys including Fishery-Independent Monitoring (FIM). FIM accomplishes this by monitoring long term trends of abundance in coastal, estuarine, and reef systems throughout Florida. The presentation will provide an overview of the FIM program, describe the value of FIM data as it pertains to the management process, and highlight examples of FIM data analyses for a few key species collected from the Panhandle region.
The program will be held at a new location in room 308/309 of the student services building (BLDG 400) at the Northwest Florida State College- Niceville campus. Socializing begins at 6:30 PM and the program at 7:00 PM. Admission is free and open to the public. Call or e-mail Dr. Don Baltz at (225) 252-2760, dbaltz@lsu.edu for more information.
27th January 2018 Bird Walk: Walt Spence will lead a Bird Walk around the Twin Cities Shorelines. Walt is a knowledgeable birder, bird photographer and repository of local history which he enjoys sharing. It may be cold and windy along the shorelines so dress accordingly. Meet at 7:30 am in the parking lot of the Mattress Store in Bayou Plaza at the junction of 85 S and Rt 20 (John Sims Pkwy) Niceville.