Aquatic Species Educator Collection Permit Workshop, Gainesville!

seining is a great way to collect specimens!

This week I'm up in Gainesville for our annual Florida Sea Grant Extension meeting. It an opportunity for my colleagues and I to recap what we've done this past year and begin planning for the next. Last night my colleagues Dr. Maia Mcguire and Chris Verlinde who are also Sea Grant Extension Agents, and I hosted an Aquatic Species Educators Collection Permit Workshop for local school teachers as well as some of our other Sea Grant Agents who don't have the permit yet. We certified 11 educators at the workshop, who should get their collecting permits in the next 4 to 6 weeks!

The aquatic species collection permit is offered through FWC  and the Florida Marine Science Educators Association and is an excellent opportunity to Florida educators to collect and possess aquatic species for their classrooms or programs.

The workshop is available to certified Florida teachers and/or employees of educational centers. Certificate holders are eligible to collect specified aquatic species for educational purposes that would be restricted under fishing license guidelines. This Educator Certification is valid for 3 years.
During the training workshop, participants discuss collecting alternatives, benefits, collection and transport techniques, methods to minimize environmental impact, restrictions imposed by the Collecting Certificate, available resources, and related activities. Its also a great opportunity to meet and network with other educators!!!

 If you have questions about future workshops, give me a call. At the moment, I do not have any scheduled, but am keeping a list of interestered educators for the next one.