Fishing

Florida’s dams and locks prove disruptive — and sometimes deadly — to wildlife.

As major dams are taken down in other parts of the country, Florida holds tight to its dams and reservoirs, some aging and putting nearby residents and homes at risk.

This week on The Florida Roundup, we featured two reports from the podcast Sea Change, from WWNO/WRKF in Louisiana. WLRN's Jenny Staletovich explored how hotter oceans are affecting the mahi. Then, WUSF's Jessica Meszaros examined the rising cost of climate risk on Florida's home insurance market. After, we spoke with Jenny and Jessica about their reporting.

Gov. DeSantis signs order making many hunting and fishing licenses 50% off through Jan. 3.

About 67% of voters supported what appeared on the ballot as Amendment 2 and was titled “Right to Fish and Hunt.” Constitutional amendments need support from 60 percent of voters to pass.

Supporters of the measure have raised significantly more money than opponents, and political experts think the proposal likely will receive the required support of 60% of voters to pass.

The money will go toward rebuilding boat slips, fish houses, and other areas in the fishing industry.

Amendment 2 is largely backed by hunting and fishing groups and charter captains. Amendment 2 is opposed by environmental groups and some homeowners are worried about increased trespassing

Largemouth bass in Florida are now their own species, and bear a different name: The Florida bass.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) TrophyCatch program has deployed bright pink research tags in bass across five waters throughout the state: the Northwest Winter Haven Chain of Lakes, Lake Lochloosa, Lake Beauclair, Lake Okeechobee and Porter Lake.

This comes after dozens of meetings with stakeholders, including avian rescue groups, anglers, wildlife conservation groups, pier concessionaires, local and state government representatives, and others.

The new study targets redfish found in waters from St. Augustine to Pensacola and builds on a similar survey released last year that also found bonefish contaminated with pharmaceuticals in the Keys and Biscayne Bay.