On June 1 and 2 Stand Up for No Florida MPAs! American Sportfishing Association and Keep Florida Fishing (ASA Florida initiative) are asking its Florida members and the entire Florida sportfishing community to participate in the Our Florida Reefs (OFR) meeting taking place on June 1-2, from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 2nd Floor Royal Fern Hall, Fern Forest Nature Center, 201 Lyons Road South, Coconut Creek, Fla. 33063. OFR is a community-based planning group that wants to close 20-30 percent of the Florida reef tract to fishing from Stuart to Key Biscayne. OFR is recommending that the area be designated as a national marine sanctuary with marine protected areas (no-fishing zones) as a means to address a myriad of special interests from anti-fishing to addressing reef degradation unrelated to recreational fishing such as water quality, water temperature and acidification. Closing 20-30 percent of these waters would be detrimental to anglers and the 123,300 jobs and $9.3 billion in economic activity that encompass recreational fishing in Florida. ASA members and Keep Florida Fishing coalition supporters are asked to attend along with customers, employees, friends and family. Arrive by 7:30 a.m. and receive a Keep Florida Fishing T-shirt and sign to let the arriving OFR working group members know that you do not support their recommendations. Attend this meeting or we could lose this fight! Go to the Keep Florida Fishing website for more information.
