Friday, June 19, 2009
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Three employees of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) received recognition Thursday for their tireless conservation of marine resources.
During the second day of the Commissioners' two-day meeting in Crystal River, the Florida Guides Association explained why its 500 members honored Gina Russo, an environmental scientist in the FWC's Division of Marine Fisheries Management, for her outreach work, and FWC officers Grant Burton and Louis Hinds for their innovative enforcement.
Burton and Hinds received the guides' Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award for their "trained eyes," said Pat Kelly, president of Florida Guides Association. Fishing guides often work with the officers in apprehending net-regulation violators, Kelly noted. "These are the best you've got," Kelly told FWC Commissioners, relating one story he heard that they even swam out to investigate a possible violation.
The officers' supervisor in the Tampa Field Office, Lt. Rob Gerkin, said the two showed initiative in planning and working special details primarily in Sarasota and Manatee counties - their goal being to detect and apprehend people violating net limitations and regulations aimed at protecting fisheries populations.
"Over the past year, the efforts of officers Burton and Hind in enforcing Florida's net-limitation laws have resulted in 24 felony arrests and 60 misdemeanor arrests," Gerkin said. "They have seized over 4,800 yards of monofilament gill net (2.75 miles) and thousands of pounds of assorted fish."
Their presence alone has deterred several individuals from committing illegal acts. "They have even come up on several fishermen late at night in very cold weather on a personal watercraft to conduct their inspections," Gerkin said.
During the meeting, Hinds told Commissioners that he didn't actually swim to catch the people. "I ran through the water."
The FWC recently promoted Burton to investigator. Now he sometimes works out of the Fort Myers field office when not teaming up with Hinds.
Russo's contributions are of a scientific-educational nature.
"She promotes the stock-enhancement program, gives hatchery tours, and she designed and developed a water tank display for outreach events," Kelly said. "Gina makes it look easy, but I've seen her in action," and that is why she received the Capt. Phil Chapman Conservationist of the Year Award. "She started aquaculture in the classroom" and furthered FWC goals in many other ways," Kelly said.
Since starting her employment with the FWC in 2000, she has managed angler-outreach programs for both the division and the Stock Enhancement Research Facility at Port Manatee.
During the second day of the Commissioners' two-day meeting in Crystal River, the Florida Guides Association explained why its 500 members honored Gina Russo, an environmental scientist in the FWC's Division of Marine Fisheries Management, for her outreach work, and FWC officers Grant Burton and Louis Hinds for their innovative enforcement.
Burton and Hinds received the guides' Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award for their "trained eyes," said Pat Kelly, president of Florida Guides Association. Fishing guides often work with the officers in apprehending net-regulation violators, Kelly noted. "These are the best you've got," Kelly told FWC Commissioners, relating one story he heard that they even swam out to investigate a possible violation.
The officers' supervisor in the Tampa Field Office, Lt. Rob Gerkin, said the two showed initiative in planning and working special details primarily in Sarasota and Manatee counties - their goal being to detect and apprehend people violating net limitations and regulations aimed at protecting fisheries populations.
"Over the past year, the efforts of officers Burton and Hind in enforcing Florida's net-limitation laws have resulted in 24 felony arrests and 60 misdemeanor arrests," Gerkin said. "They have seized over 4,800 yards of monofilament gill net (2.75 miles) and thousands of pounds of assorted fish."
Their presence alone has deterred several individuals from committing illegal acts. "They have even come up on several fishermen late at night in very cold weather on a personal watercraft to conduct their inspections," Gerkin said.
During the meeting, Hinds told Commissioners that he didn't actually swim to catch the people. "I ran through the water."
The FWC recently promoted Burton to investigator. Now he sometimes works out of the Fort Myers field office when not teaming up with Hinds.
Russo's contributions are of a scientific-educational nature.
"She promotes the stock-enhancement program, gives hatchery tours, and she designed and developed a water tank display for outreach events," Kelly said. "Gina makes it look easy, but I've seen her in action," and that is why she received the Capt. Phil Chapman Conservationist of the Year Award. "She started aquaculture in the classroom" and furthered FWC goals in many other ways," Kelly said.
Since starting her employment with the FWC in 2000, she has managed angler-outreach programs for both the division and the Stock Enhancement Research Facility at Port Manatee.
Contact:
Wendy Dial (850) 519-4301 or (850) 488-9477
Wendy Dial (850) 519-4301 or (850) 488-9477
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