LADIES REEL IN THE FISH PLANTING A MONEY RECOMMENDATION

Tournament Designed For Novice Anglers

Novice anglers are invited to fish the Ladies Let’s Go Fishing (LLGF) Screamin’ Reels tournament May 19-21 in Islamorada for inshore and offshore species.

Hosted by the nonprofit Ladies Let’s Go Fishing Foundation, the tournament kicks off on May 19 with a presentation on fishing rules and conservation, plus a meet-and-greet from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Tavernier Elks Lodge. Friendly fishing competition ensues Saturday and Sunday on inshore and offshore charter boats or private boats, departing from Whale Harbor Marina and other locations.

A total of $1,000 in individual angler prizes include Penn combos, art prints, shirts and more, to be presented on Sunday at Whale Harbor. Awards include Top Offshore and Inshore Fish, Releases, Wild Card prizes and more.

This tournament offers easy rules designed for novices who learn skills as they fish. Those with no boat can secure charter boat slots, which fill quickly, so early registration is encouraged. Registration is $95 for early entry, $119 regular per adult angler, $55 for teens and includes about $20 in gifts. Optional charter boat slots are extra. Women may register their males and teens.

Featured on national network television and more, the series is supported by major partners including Recreational Fishing and Boating Foundation, Take Me Fishing, Vamos a Pescar, Mercury, Magic Tilt trailers, Shearwater Boats, Power-Pole, Penn, TACO Metals, Lowrance, Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida and Fish Florida. Local sponsors include Plantation Boat Mart, Island Arms & Indoor Range, Sunset Inn, Jeanne Towne of Fidelity Real Estate and the Monroe County Tourist Development Council.

Crf Hoping To Secure Millions For Coral Restoration

Coral Restoration Foundation is hoping to secure $6.9 million in funding as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Climate-Ready Coasts Initiative. If approved, funding would contribute to an $11 million CRF project in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“This funding recommendation is a significant milestone for CRF and our mission to restore coral habitats,” said R. Scott Winters, CEO for CRF. “The most exciting aspect of this grant is the potential that it has to inject resources into local economies, with our proposed activities focusing on directly supporting the communities that depend on these reefs.”

The Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate-Ready Coasts initiative aims to develop climate solutions, strengthen resilience to coastal hazards, rehabilitate coastal habitats, assist underserved communities, and create employment opportunities.

If approved, CRF will allocate $4.1 million for work in Florida as part of

Mission: Iconic Reefs, concentrating on reintroducing over 70,000 colonies of endangered coral species across Mission Iconic Reef sites. The work would enhance genetic diversity in the wild, and bolster in-situ coral nursery infrastructure. For context, as of April 2023, CRF has already returned more than 220,000 corals to the reefs of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, restoring more than 34,000 square meters of this threatened habitat.

In the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, the remainder of the funding would support location-specific restoration plans, in collaboration with local partners, working to realize territory-wide restoration goals including the regional genotyping of Acropora palmata. All the proposed restoration work under this grant would bring significant socio-economic benefits to local communities, injecting resources into three local economies through activities such as strategic hiring, asset procurement and recreational charters.

— Contributed