Skip to main content

Tag: Anna Maria Island boating

FWC offers funds for derelict boat removal

FWC offers funds for derelict boat removal

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Boating, Outdoors.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is rolling out an initiative to assist in the derelict boat removal process for some municipalities.

At a September meeting, FWC commissioners approved rule amendments creating a block grant option within the FWC derelict vessel and public nuisance vessel removal grant program.

The FWC Boating and Waterways Section proposed the option to allow for additional reimbursement for ongoing vessel removals in areas that remove a substantial number of derelict vessels annually.

A derelict vessel is any vessel that is left in a wrecked, junked or substantially dismantled condition in the waters of the state.

Eligible governments must have removed 40 or more vessels within three of the preceding five calendar years.

However, smaller municipalities such as Bradenton Beach may not qualify for the block grants.

According to Bradenton Beach Police Chief John Cosby, approximately 25 derelict and abandoned boats have been removed by the city from waters in the past five years.

Local boat captains have expressed concern about sunken and unregistered boats south of the Cortez Bridge off the fishing village of Cortez, in Manatee County. In May, marine law enforcement agencies issued more than 20 citations for multiple unregistered and derelict vessels.

“Our goal is to keep improving our waterways by removing as many DVs as possible,” said Maj. Bill Holcomb, FWC boating and waterways section leader. “This amendment will allow local governments that have DV removal experience and are familiar with the process an option to remove these vessels more efficiently. They can remove eligible DVs and submit for reimbursement from their awarded block grant.”

As of June 1, there were 700 derelict vessels listed in the FWC derelict vessel database statewide.

“These vessels cause the destruction of valuable seagrass resources and endanger marine life. They also threaten human life, safety and property as they drift on or beneath the surface of the water or block navigable waterways, posing a navigational hazard to the boating public,” according to an FWC press release.

The funding for each block grant award is based on a formula that includes the average number of vessel removals for the applicant and the statewide average cost per removal.

For more information about the derelict vessel removal grant program, visit MyFWC.com/boating, select “Grant Programs” then “Derelict Vessels Removal Grant Program.”

Florida Sea Grant needs boaters’ help

Florida Sea Grant needs boaters’ help

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Algae, Outdoors, Reel Time.

If you’re a boater, Sea Grant can use your help. If you are a reader of this column, you know that our waters are suffering from too many nutrients, the various forms of insults that lead to devastating red tide events and other harmful algae blooms (HABS). Florida Sea Grant has launched a survey for the recreational boating community to address discharges from vessels, one of those problems.

According to Victoria Gambale, Clean Vessel Act education coordinator, “This survey is part of a needs assessment that will help determine what educational programming and resources are developed and implemented. It will also be used with other data to determine what and where additional sewage waste disposal resources (pump outs and port-a-potty dump stations) are needed.”

This survey is for anyone who boats recreationally in Florida. The boater can own or rent, and the boat does not need to have a head for the boater to participate in the survey. Although the survey’s primary target is recreational boaters, any commercial boater who serves recreational purposes (like charters, sightseeing tours, etc.) can also participate in the survey.

The survey is estimated to take about 10 minutes or less and is anonymous – they don’t ask for your name, address, phone number, or email. They do ask for your home zip code for analysis purposes.

Information the survey asks for includes questions about your boat, sewage discharge laws, your opinion about pump out and dump station equipment, where you dispose of sewage waste, where you find boating information, standard demographic questions and a few others.

This survey has an “if-then” logic model, so you’re not asked questions that are irrelevant to you. For example, if your boat has an installed toilet with a holding tank, you won’t be asked about port-a-potty dump stations.

Your response is confidential and only accessible to project researchers at the University of Florida. Your response will only be shared once compiled with other respondents.

As part of a comprehensive needs assessment, Florida Sea Grant is also looking at boating infrastructure in the state. More specifically, they are looking to determine how many recreational boats have direct access to the water in each county. They are then comparing that to how many sewage disposal resources (pump outs and port-a-potty dump stations) are available.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Clean Vessel Act Technical Guidelines recommend “As a general guide, at least one pump out station and dump station should be provided for every 300 to 600 boats over 16 feet length overall.” Florida Sea Grant will be using this study to determine if this general guideline is still appropriate, and, if not, to develop a new guideline to target counties in Florida that do and do not meet the guideline.

Based on the results of the needs assessment, they will focus efforts to promote the installation of sewage disposal resources where they are most needed.

Data collection for the study will be completed by June 2024 or earlier, depending on participation rates. Once all the data is collected, it will be reviewed for quality control and analysis. When that is completed, the results will be written up in a report. It is expected that the report will be available by September 2024. The report will be published on Florida Sea Grant’s Clean Boating webpage.

If you’d like to be notified when the report is available or would like more information, please email Gambale at v.gambale@ufl.edu or call 352-562-1134.

Boater survey promotional materials include a poster, postcard and social media graphics and text if you would like to spread the word about the survey.

To keep our waters healthy, we need the help of everyone who enjoys these natural wonders and whose livelihoods depend on them. Most importantly we owe it to future generations so that they too can enjoy their bounty, both spiritually and economically.

FWC warns boaters to watch out for manatees

FWC warns boaters to watch out for manatees

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Featured, Manatees, Outdoors.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Manatees are on the move this time of year, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is reminding boaters to keep an eye out for the slow-moving marine mammals, especially during November – Manatee Awareness Month.

As water temperatures cool, manatees are migrating to warmer waters. Manatees depend on water warmer than 68 degrees Fahrenheit to survive the winter, so in the fall they travel to springs, power plant discharges and other warm-water sites.

FWC urges boaters to follow all posted manatee protection zones, look out while boating, wear polarized glasses and always give them space. Manatee protection zones are marked by waterway signs. Maps of manatee protection zones are available online at MyFWC.org by clicking on “Data and Maps.”

Collisions with boats remain the leading cause of human-related death for manatees, according to oceanconservancy.org.

“Manatees live in coastal waters, estuaries and rivers, which happens to be where there is a lot of boat traffic. They also feed on seagrasses that grow in sunny, shallow waters, meaning they spend a lot of time close to the surface, putting them more at risk for boat strikes,” according to the Ocean Conservancy website.

Disturbing manatees at warm-water sites can cause them to swim out of those protected areas and into potentially life-threatening cold water.

Manatees are sometimes difficult to see on the water and you may see a swirl on the surface caused by the manatee when it dives, or see an animal’s back, snout, tail or flipper break the surface of the water. You may only hear the manatee when it surfaces to breathe. In any instance, keep your distance and observe passively, according to the FWC.

FWC law enforcement officers are on patrol in state waters to inform boaters of the seasonal manatee speed zones and take appropriate enforcement actions, according to the FWC website. The manatee is protected under federal law by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and by the Endangered Species Act of 1973, which makes it illegal to harass, hunt, capture or kill any marine mammal. The manatee is also protected by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978, which states: “It is unlawful for any person, at any time, intentionally or negligently, to annoy, molest, harass, or disturb any manatee.”

Do not attempt to handle manatees but instead report injured, distressed, sick or dead manatees to the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922) or by dialing #FWC or *FWC on a cellphone so responders can assist.

Resources for boaters, educators and other interested members of the public are available online.