Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.
Florida is well known and well-celebrated for its stunning waterways, rich ecosystems and lush natural beauty. It is estimated that over 200 species of fish call Florida's freshwater and saltwater ecological communities home.
Sadly, a great deal of fish that can be found in Florida waterways are non-native species, species that have been released into the native systems by accident, by fault of the booming tropical fish pet trade, or intentionally by farmers and government entities wishing to control secondary pest and weed problems. While many of these fish live symbiotically with the local ecology, some species create havoc on native species and on the delicate balance of the aquatic ecosystems.
In an effort to celebrate native species, and to bring awareness to the types of fish that are native to Florida's inland and marine waters, the Florida fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has partnered with Wildlife Forever and has created a Florida Fish Art Contest that is open to youth in grades kindergarten through twelfth grades from across the state. The deadline to enter is Feb 28., so there's no time to waste!
In order to enter, the artist must be a resident of Florida. All entries must include on or more of the following native fish species from the same category:
Category 1- Freshwater Fish: Largemouth Bass, Striped Bass, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Redear Sunfish, Spotted Sunfish, Channel Catfish, Florida Gar, Chain Pickerel or Bowfin.
Category 2- Saltwater Fish: Snook, Redfish, Spotted Seatrout, Flounder, Tarpon, Mahi-Mahi, Spanish Mackerel, Hogfish, Queen Snapper or Black Grouper.
Each entry must include the following to be considered in the contest: An original piece of artwork featuring any native fish in the above categories (if the artwork includes two fish species, they must belong to the same category), a piece of creative writing, no longer than one page, about the chosen species (only required for grades 4-12), and a Florida State-Fish Art Contest Entry Form.
Entry forms can be found on the Wildlife Forever website, at wildlifeforever.org. This year is the 25th Anniversary of the Fish Art Contest. This contest is an excellent way to connect our youth to conservation and the outdoors through use of science, creative writing and art, in an effort to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards.
Contestants can win top honors, international recognition and prizes while learning about fish, fishing and aquatic conservation. Two first-place winners will be selected for each grade bracket, one for illustrating the best freshwater species and one for illustrating the best saltwater species. The grade brackets are as follows:
• Kindergarten through Third Grade
• Fourth through Sixth Grade
• Seventh through Ninth Grade
• Tenth through Twelfth Grade
All fist-place winners will advance to the national competition to be judged for top prizes, including Best of Show. All entries must be submitted by Feb. 28. For more information, please contact Brandon Stys, who works as Statewide R3 Coordinator, at Brandon.Stys@MyFWC.com.