Studer Community Institute

BP money will put Bruce Beach fish hatchery in business

October 9, 2014
/ Shannon Nickinson
/ economy

The future is coming to Bruce Beach. The third installment of BP money sent to the Pensacola area under the Natural Resource Damage Assessment process includes $18,793,500 for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to build a hatchery and research facility at Bruce Beach. “This is the final sign-off,” said Gil McRae, the director of the Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. “All that needs to happens now is the logistics associated with getting the money from point A to point B. And it’s my understanding that will take about three to four weeks.” The hatchery received the largest share of 28 projects in Florida from this third round of NRDA funding, which totals $88 million. Additionally, two U.S. Department of the Interior projects will take place at Gulf Islands National Seashore in Escambia County and total approximately $15 million. Local projects on the list can be found here. “I’m excited that the state has completed this final step in the approval process and cleared the way for us to move forward with this project,” said Mayor Ashton Hayward. “The Gulf Coast Marine Fisheries Hatchery & Enhancement Center is going to be a tremendous asset for fishing enthusiasts, students, and researchers across our region. I’m looking forward to completing the design process and breaking ground on construction.” Gov. Rick Scott’s office, as well as many state lawmakers touted the announcement Tuesday as a positive step for the area’s recovery from the effects of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and subsequent oil spill. “Today’s announcement of more than $100 million in funding is great news for families in the Panhandle,” Scott said via news release. “We must protect our state’s natural treasures so future generations of Floridians will be able to enjoy our state’s great natural treasures.” Across the five Gulf States, $627 million will be allocated to implement 44 projects that will continue restoration of the natural resources and associated lost recreational services, which were affected by the spill. Florida Senate President Don Gaetz said by email that he hopes the “these projects selected by local leaders will produce a true return-on-investment and be managed with careful stewardship.” In the same email, Escambia County Commissioner Grover Robinson noted that one of the first projects funded by NRDA, a boat ramp at Mahogany Mill, “took an adverse legacy and turned it into an environmental asset for our county. I look forward to many more significant improvements for our Gulf Coast communities.” Santa Rosa County Commissioner Lane Lynchard said the Santa Rosa projects demonstrate a step forward in recovery from the oil spill. “These projects, as well as others to come, will have a lasting, positive impact on our environment." SIte work to start soon McRae said that FWC has been working on the site, though that work isn’t readily apparent. They hired a contractor to do a biological assessment of the site to see if there are any protected species there to be concerned with. They also hired a contractor to do a cultural and archaeological assessment of the site. Both evaluations are complete and neither turned up anything of concern, McRae said. McRae said he will travel to Pensacola in the next few weeks to iron out the details of executing the draft memorandum of understanding between FWC and the City for the site. The city will lease the site to FWC, which will use the BP money to remediate environmental contamination at the site, and design and construct the facility. The draft MOU sets up two advisory groups for the project. One will advise on the design of the facility and layout of the site with an eye toward how it is integrated into the area. The other, McRae says will be more academic in nature and will focus on the technical aspects of what kind of fish to grow at the hatchery. Both FWC and the city will get to appoint members to the committee, McRae said. “This is the point in the process where it becomes real,” McRae said. “If there is a message to the locals it’s that this thing is really happening.”

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BP money will put Bruce Beach fish hatchery in business

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