Read more about the article Threatened Seagrass Has a Trickle Down Effect
Excess Nitrogen from multiple upstream sources create harmful algae blooms like this explosion of lyngbya on the eastern shore of Anna Maria Sound.

Threatened Seagrass Has a Trickle Down Effect

It is imperative that citizens let leaders know they will hold them responsible to protect the resources that form the basis of our quality of life as well as the local economy.

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Read more about the article What happened to catch and release?
Keeping big fish like tarpon in the water is critical. Andy Mill measures a tarpon while Captain Doug Kilpatrick assists. – Rusty Chinnis | Sun

What happened to catch and release?

Catch and release used to be an accepted practice that acknowledged that fish populations are not the bottomless resource they were once thought to be. Proper catch-and-release methods are more important now than ever. Lately, however, a lot of posts of dead fish are appearing on social media that seem to be taken more to impress others and get likes than to provide a meal.

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Read more about the article Now, Working to Improve The Things That Matter Most
Sarasota Bay Watch members and volunteers celebrate one of their 2018 clam releases. - Rusty Chinnis | Sun

Now, Working to Improve The Things That Matter Most

If you’re feeling like you are helpless in the face of the political and environmental storms that have rocked our lives recently, I would like to propose a path forward. We have the ability to help make real, positive changes that benefit our present and the future for generations to come. I have some suggestions on how to do that.

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Read more about the article Hooking Up with the Fall Fish Frenzy
The little tunny (locally known as bonito) is my favorite fish species to pursue. These members of the tuna family are notable for their stamina, long, smoking runs, and their ferocious feeding blitzes.

Hooking Up with the Fall Fish Frenzy

Shifting seasons bring welcome changes to the Gulf coast, especially those Fall fronts that are the couriers of cooling temperatures and lower humidity. The arrival of massive bait schools in the passes and along the beaches are harbingers of the king mackerel, cobia, Spanish mackerel, and little tunny that are never far behind. While I love to fish for all these species, the little tunny (locally known as bonito) is my favorite to pursue.

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Read more about the article Enlightened Self Interest in the Voting Booth
Perico Preserve, one of Manatee County's newest parks, was once slated for a housing development and shopping center.
- Rusty Chinnis | Sun

Enlightened Self Interest in the Voting Booth

There's less than a week until election day, and regular readers of this column can probably guess how this writer will be voting. I’ve said it more than once, but this bears repeating. I don’t consider myself a Republican or a Democrat, I vote environment. On Tuesday, Nov. 3rd, I will be casting my vote based on research I’ve done on how the candidates have voted in the past. 

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The Madison Valley and Yellowstone

The world’s first national park and the largest in North America, Yellowstone sits atop North America’s largest volcanic field. The caldera (a large cauldron-like hollow) was formed when land collapsed following the last of three super-eruptions that took place over the past 2.1 million years. It’s a land of steaming springs, geysers, bubbling mud pots and soaring landscapes that almost defy imagination.

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