Survival of the fittest

A photo exhibit of Carlton Ward's work, in Tampa next week, offers glimpses of Florida's remaining traditional fishing villages.

By TERRY TOMALIN
Published March 24, 2006

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Long before flats skiffs and cabin cruisers dominated the waterways, commercial fishing boats plied the Gulf of Mexico from Pensacola to Key West.

But as condominiums replace marinas along our coasts, Florida's traditional fishing villages are finding it difficult to survive.

"I've tried to document this way of life before it disappears," said photojournalist Carlton Ward, who along with maritime anthropologist Michael Jepson has studied the towns of Cortez and Cedar Key. "Like many of Florida's landscapes, development is a constant threat."

Ward, a 30-year-old, eighth-generation Floridian from Clearwater, received a master's degree in ecology from the University of Florida, but chose to pursue a career in photography.

"I thought about and decided that I could reach more people through the lens," he said.

Ward's photographs have appeared in Smithsonian, National Wildlife, Africa Geographic, GEO and Outdoor Photographer. In 2004, he founded the Legacy Institute for Nature & Culture as a tool for connecting society to natural heritage issues, striving to advance conservation through communications. (For more information go to linc.us.)

An exhibit of Jepson and Ward's work has been touring the state in recent weeks. You can catch it next week at the following locations:

Thursday - Florida Aquarium, 701 Channelside Drive, Tampa, (813) 273-4000. Reception at 5:45 p.m., program begins at 6:15.

March 31 - Florida Gulf Coast Maritime Museum, 4415 119th St. W, Cortez, (941) 708-4935. Reception at 6 p.m., program begins at 6:45.

For more information visit carltonward.com