New bill would stop Florida bear hunts for the next 10 years

A new bill filed by Sen. Linda Stewart, D-Orlando, would stop the hunting of Florida black bears for a decade and set aside at least $1 million dollars to purchase more bear-proof trash containers.

The bill (SB 1304) also contains regulations for controlled burns of state forests in ordered to allow the regrowth of oak trees, palmettos and other berry-producing plants that black bears eat.

The bear hunting moratorium would require the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to conduct a five-year population trend study of the bear population, along with the impact of hunting.

In 2016, the FWC voted against holding a bear hunt in Florida and spent $825,000 in 12 counties to help reduce the potential of human and bear conflicts.

So far, no black bear hunt has been scheduled for 2017.

A hunt was conducted in 2015 that killed 304 Florida black bears. If Stewart’s bill passes, no Florida bear hunts would be legal until July 1, 2027.

This article appears in Mar 1-7, 2017.