FWC wants your input on the future management of the spotted seatrout fishery

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is holding a series of in-person workshops to gather public input on potential rule changes for spotted seatrout. This includes adopting a holistic management approach for spotted seatrout where a review of various environmental and human factors is used to evaluate the fishery at a more local scale. The factors used would be habitat, fishing effort and landing, stock assessments, harmful algal blooms, abundance indices, and stakeholder feedback. The public is encouraged to attend one of FWC's in-person workshops, which are being held throughout the state, or the virtual workshop.

Below is a list of locations. In-person workshops will begin at 6 p.m. and conclude by 8 p.m. local time.

Monday, Sept. 8
Pensacola: Pensacola Public Library - 239 N Spring St.
Jacksonville: Mayport Community Center - 4875 Ocean St.
Key Largo: Key Largo Public Library - 101485 Overseas Hwy.

Tuesday, Sept. 9
Panama City: Bay County Public Library - 898 W 11th St.
Crystal River: Citrus County Chamber of Commerce - 915 N Suncoast Blvd.
Naples: Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve - 300 Tower Road
St. Augustine: St. Johns County Agricultural Extension Service - 3125 Agricultural Center Dr.

Wednesday, Sept. 10
Crawfordville: Wakulla County Community Center - 318 Shadeville Road
New Smyrna Beach: Marine Discovery Center - 520 Barracuda Blvd.

Thursday, Sept. 11
Sarasota: Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium - 1600 Ken Thompson Pkwy.
Destin: Destin Fishing Museum - 108 Stahlman Ave.
Cocoa: Catherine Schweinsberg Rood Central Library - 308 Forrest Ave.

Monday, Sept. 15
St. Petersburg: Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute - 100 Eight Ave. SE
Ft. Pierce: St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners - 2300 Virginia Ave.
Cross City: Dixie County Public Library - 16328 SE Hwy. 19

Tuesday, Sept. 16
Apollo Beach: Sun Coast Youth Conservation Center - 6650 Dickman Road
Punta Gorda: Charlotte County Commission Chambers - 18500 Murdock Cir #536
West Palm Beach: South Florida Water Management District - 3301 Gun Club Road

Thursday, Sept. 18
The virtual workshop will begin at 6 p.m. ET and conclude by 8 p.m. ET.
Virtual Webinar: To join the workshop visit: MyFWC.com/SaltwaterWorkshops

If you are unable to attend a workshop, visit MyFWC.com/SaltwaterWorkshopsto watch a recorded presentation or find recordings on the FWC Saltwater YouTube channel. Comments can be submitted at MyFWC.com/SaltwaterComments.