BOAT CAPTAINS AND FWC PERSONNEL TREAT
CKS KIDS TO FISHING DAY
July 10, 2017
Fifty-seven students in the 2017 Cedar Key School Summer Youth Program spent part of their day today extending their aquaculture/seafood curriculum…and actualizing it. Indeed, the “best summer youth program ever” was made possible by seven generous Cedar Key boat captains who offered their time, bait, gas, expertise, and boats and some devoted Florida Fish and Wildlife staff members.
Bud Collins, Carl Robinson. Denny Voyles, AJ Brown, Stephen Keith, Chad O’Steen, and Mike Allen from the University of Florida’s Nature Coast Biological Station gathered students in groups of four and five.
The seven boats made two fishing trips in order to accommodate the fifty-seven students. The first group left the Cedar Key Marina at 9:30 am and returned at about 11 am; the second group left at 12:45 pm and returned at 2:30 pm.
Critical to the success of the day were Florida Fish and Wildlife staff members: Shannon McAskill, Hannah Healey, and Courtney Stachowiak. They herded kids, assisted their fishing, and watched over their safety.
Makalynn Bowling, a proud fisherperson, declared, “I caught an 18-inch spotted sea trout.” One of the girls reported that Mr. Voyles’ boat contained some forty fish after the first tour of the day. Kaitlin Tindall reported catching a 15-inch speckled sea trout and Alexandrea Brown caught a 16-inch spotted sea trout.
This day’s event afforded well over half of the 2017 Summer Youth Program students and, in effect, nearly one quarter of the Cedar Key School students, the opportunity to spend part of their day fishing with the experts.
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