boca grande

Celebrate the holiday season with the Lighting of the Lighthouse at Port Boca Grande Lighthouse on Gasparilla Island and hear from the locals about how this island community is recovering from Hurricane Ian, a Category 4 hurricane that hit Southwest Florida on Sept. 28. Interviews with Sharon McKenzie, executive director, Barrier Island Parks Society; Gary Cross, president of Boca Grande Chamber of Commerce; Sue Herbert, resident of Fremont, Ohio, and Englewood, Florida; Andrew and Brittany Madison, residents of Englewood; Paul Townsend, lighthouse docent. Recorded Dec. 8 and 10, 2022.

Lew Hastings executive director of the Boca Grande Chamber of Commerce tells of a most remarkable fish the tarpon. The World's Richest Tarpon Tournament promotes conservation through education. It is all about protecting the tarpon and a sustainable fishery. In this tournament tarpon bite baited hooks, are drawn swiftly to boats where an observer records the catch with fish in the water. Tarpon is quickly released with minimum disturbance of the fish's energy reserves. Tarpon energy demands are so high that they gulp air rolling at the surface. This magnificent 2 meter fish is inedible. Hence there is no market, no reason to kill these apex predators. Tarpons are challenged to survive on a number of fronts. Lew tells what we can do to help tarpon. Preservation of tarpon is crucial for today and future generations.If the tarpon population collapses, the entire Boca Grande economy will follow. Much of Florida's economy will go as well. Discover and marvel the tarpon of Boca Grande.