The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) contributed $10,000 to the South Florida National Parks Trust’s Florida Bay Stewardship Fund, which seeks to improve boating access and resource stewardship in Everglades National Park.
Through this program, a new network of access corridors will be created on Florida Bay in Everglades National Park, providing improved access to the bay’s shallow waters for anglers and better long-term conservation for the park’s marine resources.
“We are proud to support the Florida Bay Stewardship Fund, which will help shape how Everglades National Park is experienced and enjoyed by more than 100,000 boaters and anglers each year,” said Mike Leonard, ASA’s conservation director. “This contribution is intended to help improve fishing access and fisheries conservation in Florida Bay.”
The new navigational corridors are a product of the new General Management Plan (GMP) for Everglades National Park, updated in 2015. The final GMP received support from ASA and other recreational fishing and boating groups.
“The collaborative and science-based process that Everglades National Park officials followed in developing the GMP hopefully can serve as a model to be replicated by other national parks as natural resource management done right,” said Leonard.
Through the Florida Bay Stewardship Fund, the South Florida National Parks Trust seeks to raise $150,000 to establish more than 30 new access corridors in Florida Bay with signs and markers, and promote safe boating through the development of electronic navigational tools, waterproof maps and educational products. More information can be found at the Florida Bay Stewardship Fund website.
The ASA is the sportfishing industry’s trade association committed to representing the interests of the sportfishing and boating industries.
