Okaloosa County BOCC — June 2, 2015 — GCMLC Taylor SupportLetter

  Gulf Coast Marine Life Center 155 Crystal Beach Drive • Suite 101 Destin, FL. 32541 Commissioner Kelly Windes, Chairman Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners 1804 Lewis Turner Blvd - Suite 100 Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32547 April 22nd, 2014 RE: Anchoring Buoy(s) for Fishing in the Deep Gulf Offshore in Okaloosa County Dear Mr. Windes, The Gulf Coast Marine Life Center (GCMLC), a Florida 501(c)(3) organization located in Destin, Fl. is pleased to write this letter in support of the project proposed by Taylor Engineering Inc. The project “Anchoring Buoy(s) for Fishing in the Deep Gulf Offshore Okaloosa County” corresponds with the mission objectives of the GCMLC in the restoration of the Gulf of Mexico’s (Gulf) marine ecosystem and the Gulf’s economic vitality. The GCMLC in collaboration with experts from the University of Florida, the University of Miami, Louisiana State University, Texas A&M, the University of Maryland, the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and the University of New Hampshire, is dedicated to restoring the economic and environmental health of the Gulf Coast in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. The GCMLC project is bringing together some of the best minds the U.S. has to offer in the fields of hatchery technology, sustainable aquaculture, fisheries science, and habitat restoration to bolster the Gulf Coast ecosystem’s ability to provide viable ecological services for decades to come. One of the main objectives of the GCMLC is stock enhancement of Gulf native marine species such as cobia, snapper, flounder, mahi mahi, and other environmentally key and commercially viable species. The Gulf is well known for its excellent recreational sport fishing. The addition of a buoy or buoy network as proposed by Taylor Engineering Inc. would be beneficial in further attracting offshore recreational fisherman to the area thus supporting a healthy Gulf economy in Okaloosa County. Furthermore, the successful execution of Taylor Engineering’s proposed project would provide a platform for the potential aggregation of GCMLC hatchery-reared released stock. Through the aid of a monitoring system incorporated onto the bouy(s) researchers would have the capability of tracking specimens that originated from the GCMLC facility, as well as wild specimens being attracted to the buoy(s).   1      The Gulf Coast Marine Life Center has formed an Advisory Board featuring some of the best scientists within the above mentioned marine science fields. Should this project be funded the network of experts, resources, and technology the GCMLC maintains would be provided to Taylor Engineering Inc. in support of this project’s research and implementation needs. Additionally, the GCMLC looks forward to the potential of other organizations applying the buoy(s) to their own research as valuable platforms on which monitoring devices for storms, weather, and other such applications could be attached to the buoy(s) and utilized for imperative data collection. The Gulf Coast Marine Life Center enthusiastically supports the proposed project as we believe the function of the proposed buoy(s) as fish aggregating devices will boost the vitality of the offshore sport fishing industry off of Okaloosa’s coast as well as provide a platform for research purposes to regional universities, federal agencies, and other interested parties. The GCMLC wishes Taylor Engineering Inc. much success with the proposed project and look forward to a fruitful collaboration. Sincerely, _____________________________ Patrick Barcus, CEO and Founder GCMLC Gulf Coast Marine Life Center 155 Crystal Beach Drive • Suite 101 Destin, FL. 32541 Office: 850.249.1885 Fax: