Tag Archives: A.P. Bell Fish Co.
Cortez fishing village inundated by Hurricane Idalia
As residents and business owners cleaned up on Thursday morning following the storm surge from Hurricane Idalia that flooded local roads, the recurring consensus was: “We got lucky.” “There was no boat damage (to the fleet of fishing boats). We lost a few boards on the dock,” A.P. Bell Fish Co. owner Karen Bell said. “We were very lucky.” Cortez is one of Florida’s last commercial fishing villages. It hugs the north shore of Sarasota Bay. On Wednesday morning, its roads were underwater, but by that evening, the waters had receded and roads were passable. In advance of the storm, A.P. Bell workers had secured the fleet of fishing boats with extra dock lines. 11 photos, >>click to read<< 17:27
2015 mullet season catch is down drastically
Like a lot of Floridians weary of warm weather, the local fishing industry is praying for a little cool. But for the people who catch them, the businesses that sell them and for those planning to expand Southwest Florida’s mullet fishery into a sustainable industry, the record-setting warm winter is a much bigger issue than not being able to wear a favorite sweater or trade sandals for boots. This time last year, the A.P. Bell Fish Co. in Cortez was awash in the collective catch of striped mullet, with president Karen Bell ordering more ice to keep the fish fresh and wondering what she was going to do with them all. Read the article here 18:26
