Tag Archives: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Claims of illegal baiting during Florida's 2015 Black Bear hunting season stir controversy. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission plans to issue an in-depth analysis of the hunt in a few weeks.

Red tide algal blooms have been discovered on the coasts of Florida. This organism has toxins that are harmful to marine life's central nervous systems and humans respiratory systems.

A group of University of Florida students has teamed up with the Alachua Conservation Trust to raise awareness for the Oval pigtoe mussel. The species, native to the Santa Fe River area, has been endangered since 1998.

After just two days, Florida ended its controversial black bear hunt because a higher than expected number of bears had been killed. Wildlife authorities said late Sunday that 295 bears taken overall, nearing the official limit.

For the first time in twenty years, hunters entered the woods to kill Florida black bears. At the end of the first day, 207 bears were killed and tagged. Hunting was halted in the Central Florida Bear Management Unit after the 100 bear limit was reached.

Though bear hunting is once again legal in Florida, not all residents support the decision. Across the state, people gathered to protest the hunt's opening day.

The University of Florida’s Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience in St. Augustine will open a sea turtle hospital on Oct. 24 that offers medical care to sick and injured sea turtles, including those with fibropapillomatosis virus.

Gloria, a Tomistoma crocodile, retired from Virginia to St. Augustine Alligator Farm to find a potential mate. Gloria's species is one of five critically endangered crocodiles being held at the farm.

Green sea turtles are on the rise in Florida. Record high populations in 2011, 2013, and 2015 and nest records show that the turtles are nesting more frequently on the state's beaches.

The panther population is relatively small and they are often at risk for getting hit by a car. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is aiming to keep the panther population as safe and healthy as possible.