From 1976 to 1981, the Game and Freshwater Fish Commission (GFWFC) spent 

 nearly $17 million annually on freshwater fish programs and about $13.6 mil- 

 lion on wildlife programs. Freshwater fish expenditures increased $114,000 

 annually and wildlife expenditures increased $312,000. The number of employees 

 in freshwater fishery programs increased from 154 to 175. 



Florida is one of the most highly developed recreational areas in the 

 United States. The major recreation areas are local. State, and national 

 parks, forests, wildlife refuges, historical/archaeological sites, game 

 preserves, and public and private beaches. The State recreation areas in 

 Southwest Florida are listed in Table 6. Other recreational areas are scenic 

 and wild rivers, canoe trails, and fish management areas. In Southwest 

 Florida, the Hillsborough River in Hillsborough and Pasco Counties is under 

 study by the State for designation as a scenic and wild river. The Federal 

 Government also is studying the possibility of designating the Myakka River in 

 Manatee, Sarasota, and Charlotte Counties as a scenic and wild river. 



Table 6. Recreation areas in the counties of Southwest Florida (Florida 

 Department of Natural Resources, Divison of Recreation and Parks 1981). 



County Recreation area 



Collier Wiggins Pass, Collier-Seminole 



Hillsborough Hillsborough River, Ybor City 



Lee Koreshan 



Manatee Myakka River, Lake Manatee, Judah P. 



Benjamin, Madira Bidle Mound 



Monroe Bahia Honda, Indian Key, Pennekamp, 



Lignamvitae Key, Long Key, Fort Taylor 



Pinellas ^ Caladesi Island 



Sarasota Oscar Scherer 



State designated canoe trails or streams in Southwest Florida are the 

 Pithlachascotee River (Pasco), Alafia and Little Manatee River (Hillsborough), 

 Upper Manatee River (Manatee), Peace River (DeSoto), Hickey's Creek (Lee), 

 Estero River (Collier) and Blackwater River/Royal Palm Creek (Collier). 



The National Park Service has a designated canoe trail in Monroe County 

 located at Bear Lake and the Wilderness Waterway. The Florida Game and Fresh- 

 water Fish Commission manages the following waters: Lake Moon (Pasco County), 

 Lake Tayson and Lake Seminole (Pinellas), Lake Thonotosassa (Hillsborough), 



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