GPS Marks Manatee And Security Zones

By FRANK SARGEANT The Tampa Tribune

Published: Apr 16, 2008

One of the major problems for boaters traveling the waters of Florida these days is knowing exactly where the "no-go" zones for manatees and for homeland security are located. In many areas, the no-entry markers are spaced widely, or so far from shore that a boater can easily fail to see them and get into trouble.

Garmin Electronics, one of the nation's largest manufacturers of Global Positioning Systems, has come up with a unique system specifically aimed at Tampa Bay that will clearly mark the no-entry zones on their GPS chart plotters.

The pilot project is likely to be repeated in many other venues in the near future, but for the moment it has been worked out only for Tampa Bay, in a joint effort with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Tampa Bay Estuary Program.

The electronic charts are built in to new Garmin GPS plotters, but also can be purchased on SD cards for boaters to plug into their older plotters. They show no-entry, slow speed and seasonal closed or idle zones.

"The chart plotters show exactly where the zones begin, when they are in effect and how far they extend," said Nanette O'Hara of the Manatee Awareness Coalition. "We hope other companies will follow Garmin and put these zones on their software, as well."

O'Hara said new SD cards covering the entire U.S. coast, including the new detailed information for Tampa Bay, sell for $199, and Garmin will provide a $125 rebate for boaters sending in their old SD cards.

For more information, visit www.garmin.com.

JUMBO FLOUNDER: Clients of captain Billy Nobles of Apollo Beach caught the mother of all flounders last week in the Little Manatee River. The anglers hauled in a flatfish that looked like a halibut, according to Nobles.

"That thing stretched from my belt to the floor," Nobles said. "It had to go close to 10 pounds."

Though jumbo flounder are caught with some frequency on the Atlantic coast, anglers along Florida's western peninsula rarely see them more than 3 pounds.

MARINEQUEST OPEN HOUSE: The Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg holds its annual MarineQuest open house Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event offers interactive marine and wildlife biology displays that give children a chance for hands-on experiences with nature.

Live alligators and baby raccoons are part of the show. The saltwater touch tanks include small sharks, rays, lobsters and redfish. There are a total of 60 displays, and most of the institute's top scientists will be on hand to talk to visitors about FWRI projects.

The FWRI, located next to Albert Whitted Airport, is at 100 Eighth Avenue S.E. in downtown St. Petersburg. Call (727) 867-8166 or visit www.MyFWC.com.

DUNAWAY IN CLEARWATER: Vic Dunaway, the dean of Florida outdoors writers and editor emeritus of Florida Sportsman magazine, will be at West Marine on Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard in Clearwater on Saturday from 1-5 p.m.

Dunaway, a noted humorist and public speaker, will be signing his latest book - and probably cracking his latest jokes. Call (727) 446-8962.

A TOURNEY TO REMEMBER: The BASS competition at Lake Falcon in South Texas last week produced the most remarkable catches ever recorded in a tournament, according to BassMaster Magazine.

Anglers caught more than 1,300 bass, and the average weight exceeded 4 pounds. Three anglers had five fish strings of more than 40 pounds. And the top single-day catch, recorded by Floridian Terry Scroggins, was 44 pounds, 4 ounces - less than a pound off the all-time mark set at Lake Tohopekaliga near Kissimmee in 2001.

Oddly, the winning angler, Paul Elias of Mississippi, was not one of the anglers bringing in 40-pound sacks, but his consistency carried the event and set a record for four-day tournament catches. He weighed in 20 fish that went 132 pounds, 8 ounces.

For more information, visit www.bassmaster.com.

CCA BANQUET: Tickets are still available for the Coastal Conservation Association's banquet and auction on May 1 at A La Carte Pavilion, 4050 Dana Shores, Tampa. The event is a fundraiser for the 23-year-old conservation group, which is largely responsible for restoring much of the state's inshore fishing.

The evening also offers the opportunity to meet Bay area outdoors media stars, including Bill Miller of Catch 47 and Mel Berman of WFLA, 970 AM. (I'll be there, too.) Auction items include fishing gear, outboard motors, marine electronics and sporting art.

Tickets are $125 and include dinner and CCA membership. Doors open at 6 p.m. Call (813) 839-2282.