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MANATEE – “It’s a beautiful little village, its old time Florida…it rocks,” said Terry Miller.

Food, music, and fish reeled in hundreds to the 37th annual Cortez Fishing Festival has to offer. “Well this fishing festival supports the only fund raiser we have to support paying for that fish preserve there,” said Plum Taylor, one of the organizers of the festival. 

Taylor and Linda Molto, with the Florida Institute of Saltwater Heritage, have been organizing the fishing festival for the past 37 years. “I think it’s a wonderful get together for everyone around to learn,” said Plum. “We have literature and everything, what we use for the festival and what we’re working for.”

The Florida Institute of Saltwater Heritage organizes the Cortez fishing Festival to manage and preserve the last mangrove forest of Sarasota Bay.

All funds benefit the F.I.S.H. preserve — a project Matthew Kurutz with The Boys Scouts of America is passionate about. “This is the last area on Sarasota Bay that’s undeveloped and I’d like to help keep it that way,” said Kurutz

Doc talks were available to teach fishermen new techniques for commercial fishing and a touch talk to meet some of the critters that call Sarasota Bay home.