Outdoors

By LESLIE STURMER

Special to the Beacon

March is prime freshwater fishing season for many species of fish, because bass and bream are getting geared up to hit the shallows. During spring, sunfish such as bass and bluegill move close to shore to find suitable spawning habitat. Shallow areas (ideally 2 to 6 feet deep) with sandy or firm soils and nearby vegetation tend to attract sunfish. Often the same areas are used year after year, because sunfish do best when they construct beds in sheltered areas without too much current and away from prevailing winds (often coves or the north shores of lakes).

By Pam Darty
Refuge Ranger
Colorful flyers seen all over town brought a record crowd to the Cedar Key Library for the third presentation by Dr. Kenneth Sassaman.
The University of Florida archaeologist has been working on the 30 coastal miles of the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge and the thirteen islands of the Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge for the past three years, so nearly half of the standing-room-only audience had returned for the most recent findings.

As spring arrives, horseshoe crabs converge along sandy beaches throughout the state to mate. Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) are asking the public for help pinpointing the sites where these horseshoe crabs spawn.
Beachgoers are likely to have the best luck spotting mating horseshoe crabs around high tide, just before, during or after a full or new moon. The conditions around the new moon tonight and the full moon on April 6 will create ideal opportunities to view the spawning behavior of horseshoe crabs.