ROFFS™ Fishy Times Newsletter – 90th Edition – Updated Videos, Bent Range Marker Saved & Sargassum Recipes

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Updated Videos on ROFFS™.com – Be Sure to Check Out the “Hot News” Button on the ROFFS™ Homepage

Look Out Man Up Front!    How much would it suck to be the guy up front?? Video Courtesy: Boat Krazy | Facebook Please click HERE to watch the video on our website now! Palm Beach Mullet Run!  It must really suck to be a mullet visiting Palm Beach this time of year! Video Courtesy: Capt-Danny Barrow | Facebook Please click HERE to watch the video on our website now! Ocean Sinkhole!  Aerial vision of the giant sinkhole that has swallowed a car and caravan near Rainbow Beach on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.  Video Courtesy: 9 News | Facebook Please click HERE to watch the video on our website now! Dinghy Derby!   This is borderline suicide! Video Courtesy: Water n’ Woods | Facebook Please click HERE to watch the video on our website now! Amateur Boat Docking! How do you not screw this up? Video Courtesy: Boat Krazy | Facebook Please click HERE to watch the video on our website now!

Letter to the Editor: The Bent Range Marker is Now Officially Saved Letter courtesy: Bruce Marx | originally published 9/27/2015

Dear Fishing Community:

It is now official—the Bent Range Marker has been saved. The contractor (Shoreline Foundation) has been paid and has executed a release in favor of all the interested stakeholders. The structure will continue its existence under the jurisdiction of Miami Dade County who will maintain it with the funds donated by the fishing community to the Capt. Bob Lewis Billfish Challenge. While this post may be lengthy, it is important for me to summarize the plan to save the Bent Range Marker and recognize everyone who contributed to its success.

The saving of the Bent Range Marker was a Herculean effort that owes its success to the members of the federal government, local government and the members of the fishing community. This campaign resulted in an unprecedented divestiture of a United States’ asset to Miami Dade County in order prevent its demolition. Every governmental employee involved in the plan to save the Bent Range Marker from destruction recognized the important conservation issue presented and went above and beyond their normal duties in order ensure the plan’s success.

Upon learning of the campaign to Save the Bent Range Marker, Shoreline Foundation agreed to put the demolition of the structure on the back end of its contract in order give the fishing community more time to carry out its plan to save it. Dade County Mayor, Carlos Gimenez, and Miami Beach Mayor, Philip Levine, endorsed the effort to save the Bent Range Marker. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission provided its formal Resolution to save the Bent Range Marker, as well. Many members of the fishing community wrote their letters in support of the Bent Range Marker and explained to the involved governmental officials why the structure was so important and why it needed to be saved.

Above: image courtesy | Bruce Marx | Facebook Please click here to read more on how Bug Light has officially been saved on our website now! Sargassum: Not Just for Breakfast Any More Article Courtesy: eattheweeds.com | by Green Deane

Sargassum — Gulf weed — comprises a huge number of seaweeds in all oceans, both bottom dwelling and free floating.  In fact, two common species found in Florida waters, S. natans and S. fluitans, are free floating all their lives.

This brown seaweed, which is also a vast floating masses in the Sargasso Sea in the north central Atlantic, is found washed ashore on the beaches often following sustained easterly winds such as during northeasters and hurricanes. It’s not only common in Florida but I also picked it up as a boy along the shores of New England. Although considered a smelly nuisance by beach-goers when it starts to decompose, the floating mats are a source of food or home to a huge variety of sea life. Often some of them will still be living on a clump of beached sargassum.

Species of Sargassum (sah-GAS-um) can be very difficult to identify because there’s a lot variability. But they do have some basic characteristics. Of all the seaweeds, Sargassum is the genus that looks the most like land plants.  It has an axis (stem) with distinct foliar blades (leaves.)  These “leaves” are long, oval-shaped, and may have smooth or toothed edges. In addition, Sargassum has small berry-like air bladders all over it. A member of the brown seaweed clan, its color doesn’t change much either, varying from yellow-brown to deep chocolate color.  Avoid any seaweed. Sargassum or otherwise,  with blue-green algae on it.

As one might expect Sargassum species vary in taste and texture so there is no one way to cook your local species. It takes experimentation.  More so, among seaweeds Sargassum is not a prime edible but a plentiful one. Slightly bitter, one might call it an acquired taste, then again all tastes are acquired except that for sugar. As Asian countries have the most experience with eating seaweed, most of the approaches have an Oriental spin.

Above: Sargassum fluitans | Image Courtesy: eattheweeds.com Please click here to read more on Sargassum on our website now!

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