Resolution 389-2013l
Commissioner George Neugent
RESOLUTION NO. 389 - 2013
A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF MONROE
COUNTY, FLORIDA SUPPORTING THE CREATION OF THE
BONEFISH AND TARPON CONSERVATION RESEARCH AND
OUTREACH CENTER TO BE LOCATED AT THE FLORIDA FISH AND
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION'S KEYS MARINE
LABORATORY IN THE CITY OF LAYTON, FLORIDA.
WHEREAS, the importance of recreational fishing to the State of Florida, particularly
the Florida Keys, is underscored by the legislative promotion of Florida as the "Fishing Capital
of the World'; and
WHEREAS, Florida's recreational and commercial fishing industries and associated
businesses, worth billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs to the State's economy,
have been severely impacted by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill; and
WHEREAS, extensive media coverage of the spill negatively impacted tourism - related
fisheries businesses throughout the state; combined, these impacts resulted in significant loss of
human uses and access to Florida's saltwater fisheries resources; and
WHEREAS, sport fishing in Florida accounts for more than $5 billion dollars of
economic impact to the State, rivaling the citrus industry in economic productivity, supporting
one of the largest saltwater fishing - related tourism industries in the world; and
WHEREAS, close to half of the estimated recreational fishing trips in Florida are made
by visitors to the State, driving a tremendous economic engine, including $119.7 million in
indirect business taxes; and
WHEREAS, there is increased recognition that precious marine ecosystems like the
Florida Keys and the Gulf of Mexico, and the world -class fisheries they support, are not
inexhaustible resources; and
WHEREAS, developing methods and strategies to sustain these lucrative and
ecologically important fisheries are critical for the economic and cultural stability of Florida in
coming decades; and
WHEREAS, bonefish and tarpon sport fisheries, perhaps some of the world's most
storied fisheries, provide livelihoods to tens of thousands of Americans from Texas to Florida to
Virginia; and
WHEREAS, tarpon fisheries alone add billions of dollars of economic impact annually
to the Gulf of Mexico and southeastern U.S. economies; about 70% of all the current IGFA
world records (fly and saltwater line class) for bonefish and tarpon have been caught in the
Florida Keys, making it a world -class destination; and
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Res Bonefish & Tarpon Conservation Center (Neugent)
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�l
Commissioner George Neugent
WHEREAS, South Florida is the birthplace of "flats fishing," (which includes bonefish,
tarpon, and permit) a unique set of "local" fisheries with an annual economic impact exceeding
$465 million; and
WHEREAS, tarpon are also a vital seasonal component of the Florida Keys fishery
during their annual migration and also support important recreational fisheries throughout
Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, southeastern United States, and the Caribbean Sea; and
WHEREAS, bonefish and tarpon are also important components of the recreational
fishery in the Florida Everglades, with an estimated annual economic impact of about $1 billion
dollars; and
WHEREAS„ the importance of the South Florida coastal marine ecosystem to broader
Florida and surrounding region's fisheries is underscored by research that clearly shows that
most adult tarpon, seen seasonally (spring, summer) in the Florida Keys and the more northerly
Florida coastlines, migrate to the plume of the Mississippi River in the northern Gulf of Mexico,
while others migrate northward along the southeastern U.S. coast to as far north as the
Chesapeake Bay; and
WHEREAS, due to observed declines in catches and apparent abundance from known
historical levels, there are serious concerns today about the status and sustainability of bonefish
and tarpon populations in Florida and the Gulf of Mexico and southeast U.S. region, and thus,
the economic, ecological, and culturally important fisheries they support; and
WHEREAS, both species spawn well offshore, so their larvae are vulnerable to the
vagaries of ocean currents and waterborne contaminants. Recent research indicates that tarpon
likely spawn in the area proximal to the DWH oil spill. Satellite- tagged and tracked adult tarpon
traveled to the offshore DWH spill area during the full moons of summer, the exact period when
tarpon spawn; and
WHEREAS, additional research is needed to better understand the extent that the DWH
spill, and other perturbations in the future, impact these population migrations and spawning
successes; and
WHEREAS, recent larval sampling and satellite - tagging research has identified several
major spawning locations for tarpon — both in areas that were impacted by the DWH spill; and
WHEREAS, another suspected site is on the outer edge of the western shelf of the
Florida peninsula and another in the Florida Keys where larvae produced in the DWH area were
impacted by the spill. Larvae produced at the western shelf edge and in the Florida Keys would
have been subject to DWH petroleum exposure if the Loop current had picked up the petroleum,
as many researchers anticipated. Such impacts can have profound regional and population level
effects; and
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Res Bonefish & Tarpon Conservation Center (Neugent)
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Commissioner George Neugent
WHEREAS, bonefish and tarpon are critical and economically important species to the
Gulf of Mexico and particularly to Monroe County;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA:
1. The Board fully supports the creation of the Bonefish and Tarpon Conservation Research
and Outreach Center to be located at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission's Keys Marine Laboratory in the City of Layton.
2. The Board recommends immediate action be taken to fund this critical effort that will
benefit the entire Gulf of Mexico and the economies of impacted states and counties.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Board of County Commissioners, Monroe County,
Florida at a regular meeting of said Board held on the 20 of November, 2013.
Mayor Sylvia Murphy Yes
Mayor Pro Tem Danny Kolhage Yes
Commissioner George Neugent Yes
Commissioner David Rice Yes
Commissioner Heather Carruther es
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
OF MONROE COUNTY, FLORIDA
[Y HEAVILIN, LERK
By:
Deputy Clerk Mayor /Chairman
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Res Bonefish & Tarpon Conservation Center (Neugent)
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