Fishing tournament held to combat pollutants and restore waterways




The winning corporate team of Benjamin F. Edwards & Co., Wayne Meland and Jon Kukk, at the RedSnook Catch & Release Charity Fishing Tournament to benefit the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.

The winning corporate team of Benjamin F. Edwards & Co., Wayne Meland and Jon Kukk, at the RedSnook Catch & Release Charity Fishing Tournament to benefit the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida’s ambitious agenda for 2021 will be greatly aided by the record-setting proceeds from the environmental protection organization’s annual RedSnook fishing tournament.

“We are very much focused on initiatives that will help us achieve the goal of stopping pollution at the source,” said Marisa Carrozzo, the Naples- based nonprofit’s Everglades and water policy manager.

Founded 56 years ago, the Conservancy is dedicated to protecting the water, land and wildlife of Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties.

Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection will be updating the state’s stormwater treatment standards over the next year. The review was mandated by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ June signing of SB 712, dubbed the Clean Waterways Act, which is aimed at protecting water quality and minimizing the impact of nutrient pollution.

The stormwater retention ponds that are a common sight throughout the region are a focal point for the Conservancy. In urbanized settings, they are a common stormwater treatment method, but for decades it’s been known that they remove only about 40 percent of nitrogen pollution and about 70 percent of phosphorus, explained Carrozzo.

The Conservancy studies the health of Southwest Florida’s 10 watersheds to provide a snapshot of the health of the region’s water resources including Estero Bay.

The Conservancy studies the health of Southwest Florida’s 10 watersheds to provide a snapshot of the health of the region’s water resources including Estero Bay.

“It’s been a long-standing priority for the organization as a whole to get the standards updated so that as new developments come and we redevelop areas, the standards are up to par,” she added. “Florida remains a hotspot for population growth. So with the developments that have gone in over the last couple of decades with outdated standards, we’re actually falling behind in treating pollution from this source.”

Carrozzo said urban and agricultural fertilizer runoff, wastewater treat­ment plants, septic tank leaks and sewage system failures also contribute to the region’s water pollution and must be addressed to maintain and restore the health of its waterways.

The Conservancy studies the health of Southwest Florida’s 10 watersheds, spread from coastal Venice to the northern end of the Ten Thousand Islands, every five years. Analyzed are such factors as types of water quality issues, wetlands and mangrove stand losses, and how much land is preserved in its natural state, among other conditions.

Data is compiled and published in the Estuaries Report Card the Conservancy produces to provide a snapshot of the health of the region’s water resources and wildlife habitat.

The best grade a watershed received was a C+ in 2017, when the study was last conducted. The remainder received grades of C- or D, said Carrozzo.

“That’s because there are so many different types of pollution impacting our area,” she said. “Since then, in the Estero Bay area, there’ve been additional bodies of water identified as not meeting our water quality standards, especially for nutrient and bacteria type issues. So there’s a lot of work to be done to address pollution sources.”

The RedSnook Catch and Release Charity Fishing Tournament has traditionally helped fund the Estuaries Report Card.

“We’re very grateful for the tournament and the funds that it provides and the support of people who participate because it does go towards the work that myself and so many others at the conservancy do,” said Carrozzo.

Held in late October, the 27th annual RedSnook tournament raised $47,000, far exceeding the Conservancy’s goal of netting $29,000 for the event, which includes a kick-off party and auction on Friday and fishing on Saturday and Sunday.

“That was a really big surprise for us because this is a really uncertain time for anything social,” said Chanel McGregor, the Conservancy’s events and corporate relations manager. “When we set our goals, we did it with the understanding that some people may not participate. But we had such a great turnout, and participation in money raised and sponsorships.”

In light of the coronavirus, the traditional kickoff party was replaced by an online silent auction, which was available the week before the tourna­ment. To enhance safety, contactless angler buckets and measuring devices were available for participants, and the scoring was done using an app. A virtual award ceremony was held Oct. 25.

“We implemented a lot of new ways of doing things and everybody adapted really well,” said McGregor.

For more information about the Conservancy of Southwest Florida visit www.conservancy.org/, call 262-0304 or send an email to info@conservancy.org