Outdoors

St. Petersburg's Mendelblatt reaches quarterfinals

Outdoors news and briefs

By Terry Tomalin, Times Outdoors Editor
Published August 17, 2007

America's Cup champion Ed Baird isn't the only St. Petersburg sailor making waves on the international racing scene. Mark Mendelblatt, who was a member of Team New Zealand, has moved into the quarterfinals at the St. Moritz Match Race in Switzerland. Mendelblatt, who is also one of the best Laser sailors in the world, has won the event twice before.

Goliath grouper a growing concern

State and federal officials met with stakeholders in the recreational and commercial sectors earlier this month to discuss the status of the Goliath grouper, Volkswagen-sized fish that have become the bane of offshore fishermen and divers.

These deep-water predators appear to have recovered to the point that officials may consider allowing divers and fishermen to take a limited number of fish for research purposes. If approved, a tag system, similar to the one used for tarpon, would be implemented to allow a total of 800 fish to be harvested over a two-year period. The information gathered would be used to develop a permanent management plan.

Scallop search

Tampa Bay Watch and the Tampa Bay Estuary Program are looking for volunteer snorkelers and boat operators for this weekend's Great Bay Scallop Search. The program, which was started to monitor and document the health and status of the bay scallop population, begins Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Fort De Soto boat ramp.

Bay scallops disappeared from Tampa Bay in the 1960s as the result of poor water quality but have since made a comeback.

If you have a shallow-draft boat, canoe or kayak and want to help, call Tampa Bay Watch at (727) 867-8166.

Call for volunteers

The Take a Kid Boating Foundation, a St. Petersburg-based non-profit organization, is hoping to take 150 needy children out for a day Aug. 25. If you have a boat large enough to accommodate a child and a guardian, contact Larry Hoffman at (727) 709-3551.

Win over longlines

Conservationists are applauding a National Marine Fisheries Service decision to deny a request that would have allowed longline fishing boats into conservation zones off South Carolina, Georgia and Florida that have been closed since 2001.

The Blue Water Fishermen's Association had requested that the conservation zones be open as a way to test whether circle hooks on longlines would reduce bycatch. The Coastal Conservation Association opposed the request, citing it as an attempt to allow swordfishing in conservation zones under the guise of a bycatch study. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Gov. Charlie Crist also opposed the request.

[Last modified August 17, 2007, 00:29:34]