Is it or isn't it rules the year

New grouper regulations has been one of many hot topics in 2006.

By RODNEY PAGE
Published December 29, 2006

The end of the year is always a time to look back on what was, and that includes the outdoors. Five stories that created a buzz in 2006:

1. Grouper, grouper, grouper

New grouper regulations put in place by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had commercial and recreational fishermen divided. A bag limit of one red grouper per fisherman was put into place. Also, there was a closure of grouper fishing from Feb. 15-March 15. And there was the revelation in August that some area restaurants weren't using actual grouper for their grouper sandwiches. Investigations into restaurants and their suppliers continue. Meanwhile, restaurant patrons remain skeptical about those sandwiches.

2. Record shark

Clyde "Bucky" Dennis of Port Charlotte lands a 1,280-pound hammerhead shark in May after an 8-hour fight off Boca Grande Pass. The photo of Dennis and the shark appeared in the New York Times and Sports Illustrated. Turns out the female shark was pregnant with 55 pups.

3. Flying sturgeon

Dawn Poirier of Kenneth City and Johnston Staples of St. Pete Beach were hit by a flying sturgeon on the Suwannee River in April. The 3-foot fish struck Poirier in the face. She recovered from the accident. Staples was uninjured. Then in August a sturgeon knocks a man off his boat in the Suwannee River, prompting officials to put up warning signs about the dangers of jumping sturgeon.

4. Record* catfish

Seventy-six-year-old Doyle Ammons of Ponce De Leon caught a 63-pound blue catfish on Nov. 6 from the Choctawhatchee River. That is 1.5 pounds bigger than the Florida record, except for the fact that he caught it on a bush hook. Bush hooks, which are usually hooked to a tree and left in the water unattended, are legal, but freshwater records are only recognized if caught on a conventional hook-and-line or rod-and-reel. Doh!

5. A break from two menaces

In 2005, Red Tide and hurricanes made for a long year. In 2006, both gave Floridians a bit of a break. Red Tide subsided substancially, and came back in much smaller doses this fall. And the state was spared of any real threat from a hurricane. Here's hoping 2007 is the same.

Rodney Page, Times staff writer

Mondays at Mote Marine Laboratory

Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota will feature a Monday lecture series as well as special Monday open houses for members beginning in January. Dubbed Mondays at Mote, the laboratory will offer special lectures by marine scientists and also provide a special behind-the-scenes discussion for members. The first lecture begins Jan. 29 with a talk by Capt. Alfred McLaren about the first manned dives to the wreck of the German battleship Bismarck, right. The lectures and open houses run through March 12. For a complete lineup, call (941) 388-4441 or go to www.mote.org.

.

[Last modified December 29, 2006, 09:53:13]