Captain Favorite's Fishing Forum: Feb. 17, 2014

• The Yacht & Brokerage Show in Miami Beach, Miami's premier in-water yacht show, is set for February 13-17 and will attract thousands of people from around the world to a spectacular display of yachts and marine products, directly across Collins Avenue from the legendary Fontainebleau and Eden Roc hotels in the heart of Miami Beach. 
• Show inventory, which includes more than 500 new and brokerage yachts and a wide array of the latest marine technology and accessories, is valued at more than $1 billion. In addition to the remarkable display of yachts, the free show offers floating cocktail barges and live musical entertainment.
• Covering more than 1.2 million square feet of space, the show spans more than a mile-long strip of the Indian Creek Waterway from 41 st Street to 52nd Street.
• For more infomation visit the website at http://www.showmanagement.com/event/

Fort Lauderdale 2014 Blue Wild Ocean Adventure and Marine Art Expo Set for February 22-23

• The Blue Wild Ocean Adventure and Marine Art Expo is set to take place at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center from February 22 to 23 and will feature the top names in freediving, spearfishing, scuba diving, underwater photography and videography, marine artists, and other exhibitors from around the world.   
• The event spans 30,000 square feet of exhibition hall space with an additional 10,000 square feet of seminar/workshop space.
• Admission is $20 at the door and includes entry to the Saturday night Blue Wild After Party at the Courtyard Marriott Ft. Lauderdale Beach where guests can mingle with industry celebrities and enjoy door prizes, BBQ and happy hour specials.  

• Show hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The Blue Wild After Party is from 7:30 to 11 p.m.
• For more information please visit TheBlueWild.com.  Like The Blue Wild Ocean Adventure and Marine Art Expo on Facebook at Facebook.com/TheBlueWild

Swordfish management pays off in expanded fishing opportunities effective Feb. 13

• Swordfish management is a success story. Overfished in the 1980s and ’90s, the swordfish stock has since been fully rebuilt, thanks to domestic and international conservation measures.
• Recently, NOAA Fisheries Highly Migratory Species Division created a new open-access commercial swordfish fishery in federal waters to provide additional commercial swordfish harvest opportunities using gears that minimize bycatch.
• The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved several changes to state rules recently, many of which will allow fishermen who participate in this new commercial fishery to land and sell their catch in Florida. Recently adopted changes will go into effect Feb. 13.
• Several changes to state rules are also consistent with existing federal rules, including a change to the cleithrum-to-keel (see image below) minimum size limit for recreational and commercial swordfish harvest.
• For more information visit the website at http://myfwc.com/news/news-releases/2014/february/06/swordfish/

Cold weather aids 2014 manatee count

• Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reported a preliminary count of 4,831 manatees in Florida during this year’s statewide aerial survey, conducted in late January.
• Over two days (Jan. 24 and 27), a team of 20 observers from nine organizations counted 2,317 manatees on Florida’s east coast and 2,514 on the west coast of the state. The final numbers will be available following verification of survey data.

• The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and several partners returned approximately 50 sea turtles to the wild today in the Gulf of Mexico off Cape San Blas after the animals were rescued from last week’s cold water temperatures.
• “It is very satisfying to be able to release these turtles following the exhaustive effort put in by rescuers last week,” said Dr. Allen Foley, FWC sea turtle biologist. “Our staff, partners and volunteers spent many hours braving cold conditions to search for and rescue these cold-stunned turtles.”
• The sea turtles were rescued between Jan. 7 and Jan. 9, when water temperatures dipped below 50 degrees, causing cold-stunning. Cold-stunned turtles may float listlessly in the water or wash ashore, largely unable to move. In this state, they are susceptible to further effects from the weather, and to attacks by gulls that often involve eye injuries. Many of these turtles would die without human intervention