Florida’s coast is welcoming its first right whales of the winter season. New images from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) confirm sightings near Amelia Island, including a mother whale with her calf and two adult females.

A group of Northeast Florida fishermen is voicing frustration over what they call “cronyism” in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) permit system for red snapper fishing.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced Tuesday it recovered 37 gold coins stolen from the 1715 fleet shipwrecks, worth over $1 million.

The recreational harvest of flounder in all Florida state and federal waters will reopen Dec. 1.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Northwest Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) Team was awarded for their dedication to enforcing the federal fishing regulations in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says that fall is the perfect time to evict bats from your home.

The St. Johns River is one of several rivers across Florida that is still experiencing significant flooding because of Hurricane Milton.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is in Horseshoe Beach on Tuesday to survey the damage left behind by Hurricane Helene.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a controversial measure that will bolster self-defense arguments for people who kill bears on their property, while vetoing a bill that would have prevented motorists from cruising in the left lanes of highways.

From afar, it can prove challenging to tell the difference between crocodiles and alligators. So, how can you identify the two? We are here to help!

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sends an annual reminder that black bears may be in unexpected places.

The fish that washed up along the St. Augustine Beach shoreline that caused a strong odor on Saturday are gone from the area.

Flagler County officials warn against feeding alligators and other wildlife after a social media post showed children feeding a gator at Wadsworth Park.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said charges are imminent for two teenagers who were on board a boat where they were caught on camera dumping garbage cans into the ocean in South Florida.

This is part of a partnership series between News4JAX and Jacksonville Today.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating an incident involving a group of boaters that was seen dumping trash into the ocean in South Florida over the weekend, according to WPLG.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission invites people of all ages and skill levels to its freshwater license-free fishing weekend on April 6 and 7.

Manatees are a threatened species because of pollution, climate change and hunting.

A bill passed by the Florida House aims to make it easier for people to shoot bears on their property under the claim of self-defense. The bill would provide self-defense protections to individuals who kill bears, as long as they can reasonably prove that their actions were necessary to prevent imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury. Critics argue that the bill is based on fear rather than facts and does not include mechanisms to prevent excessive killings of bears.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is now offering a website that offers an easier way for nature lovers to plan their excursions.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved new rule changes for the 2024-2025 hunting seasons and a new special-use alligator harvest opportunity.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved new regulations to support trophy bass conservation during its February meeting.

St. Johns County Fire Rescue, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and several other agencies are searching for two missing canoers on a pond on George Miller Road in Hastings Saturday afternoon.

Members of the St. Johns Sheriff’s Office and workers from other agencies responded to St. Augustine Beach after a small whale washed up in the sand.

Severe thunderstorms are expected throughout north and central Florida on Tuesday with 25-35 mph sustained winds and frequent gusts of 45-55 mph.

Recreational and commercial blue crab traps in all waters of the St. Johns River system must be removed from the water before Jan. 16, the first day of a 10-day trap closure, the FWC said in a news release Monday.

New regulations for snook in state and adjacent federal waters will go into effect beginning Jan. 1, 2024.

A necropsy report for the young dolphin seen in a photo being held out of the water by someone last month has been released.

A bear in a tree at a Walt Disney World park prompted the temporary closure of several rides and attractions, according to News4JAX sister station WKMG.

Manatees face many threats, from habitat loss to watercraft collisions, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reminds anyone on the water to slow down and look out for manatees while boating in Florida.

A photo of a North Florida angler holding a dolphin several feet out of the water is prompting outrage online and investigations by state and federal agencies. A marine biologist told News4JAX his first reaction to seeing that picture was horror. It’s not clear exactly where that photo was taken but harassing or feeding wild dolphins is against federal law.

A Florida neighborhood is having to deal with a growing group of domestic rabbits on its streets after a breeder illegally let hers loose.

Florida residents and visitors can go fishing during two license-free weekends: June 3-4 for saltwater and June 10-11 for freshwater.

Meteorologist Katie Garner got a chance to go out with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to see the issues they deal with firsthand on the St. Johns River.

The alligator was released back into the wild. No shoppers or employees were hurt during the encounter.

The FWC recently approved regulation changes to red porgy. One of the regulations is a bag limit of one fish per person/day.

If you've lived in Florida long enough, you know that critters are just part of the equation. From raccoons and birds of all kinds to gopher tortoises, gators and bats. Living in the Sunshine State means sharing our habitat.

It's spring, and that means black bears in Florida will be more active, including moms and their cubs. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has some advice to help you avoid bear conflicts.

Residents are complaining about burning eyes and breathing problems.

Alligator safety is the focus of a statewide meeting being held this week in Jacksonville.

An alligator killed an 85-year-old woman as she walked her dog near a canal in a senior living community on Florida's Atlantic Coast.

A 15-year-old right whale named Nimbus is now free from being entangled in a fishing rope.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said a whale washed up Wednesday morning on the beach at Hanna Park.

News4JAX is taking a look back at some of the most unforgettable stories of 2022.

Multiple people on social media have been sharing photos and videos saying they’ve seen coyotes roaming near homes in northern St. Johns County in recent weeks.

Bats serve a purpose in Florida's ecosystem, so there are certain times of the year when Florida residents aren't allowed to disturb them. But bat maternity season is over and now is the time to bat proof your home, state wildlife officials say.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved new redfish regulations and management regions for state waters Wednesday, including decreases in per-person bag and vessel limits.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Monday confirmed that a man died in a boating crash over the weekend in St. Johns County.

A woman was killed in a boating accident Tuesday in Clay County, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

A day after a deadly boat crash on Black Creek, the water was calm as the investigation continued.

After a record number of manatee deaths mostly linked to malnutrition, state and federal wildlife officials hope to double rescue and rehabilitation capacity before the sea cows again congregate in warm waters during the winter.

So far, just in the area of Naval Station Mayport, 21 Loggerhead nests have been spotted.

A boat passenger was ejected and killed Tuesday when the vessel hit a dock along Black Creek in the Lake Asbury area, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.

The saltwater waiver covers any recreational activity requiring a saltwater fishing license such as crabbing, lobstering and scalloping, whether fishing from shore or boat.

It’s National Safe Boating Week — and officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are reminding boaters to play it safe on the water.

News4JAX on Tuesday obtained a report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission into a canoeing accident in Julington Creek, in which a 16-year-old boy died.

Two teenagers got a bull shark from a stranger who caught it in Mayport last week and then they gutted it and stored the dead fish with ice overnight at a friend’s house before hoisting it from the rafters at Ponte Vedra High School as a senior prank, according to an incident report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission obtained Wednesday by News4JAX.

The FWC approved increasing hunting hours and adding precharged pneumatic airbows to the legal methods of “taking” an alligator.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has approved regulation changes for cobia and redfish in state waters and a temporary modification to the 2022 recreational blueline tilefish season in Atlantic state waters.

With shorebird and seabird nesting season underway, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission thanks building owners for hosting species such as black skimmers, least terns, roseate terns and American oystercatchers that nest on their roofs from March through August.

Florida anglers this year will have extra days to fish for Gulf red snapper under an expanded season.

Sheriff’s deputies captured video of a large alligator crawling through a front yard in Florida before making its way into a community lake.

If you’ve got a rod and reel, now is the time to fish them out of the closet -- the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s TrophyCatch program is in full swing for the 10th season.

A fisher tried to outsmart wildlife officials with a tricky cooler to hide illegally caught snook, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is asking Florida residents and visitors to help keep manatees safe, especially while out on the water.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission needs the community’s help tracking a virus that is killing freshwater turtles in Florida.

As “bird flu” continues to spread across coastal counties in the state, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said Monday it has identified a presumptive case in Duval County.

Snook reopens for recreational harvest on Feb. 1 in Florida’s Atlantic coastal and inland waters (from the Miami-Dade/Monroe county line north), including Lake Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River.

A team with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed a North Atlantic right whale named “Snow Cone,” and her calf, are swimming their way through Northeast Florida waters.

A black bear was found shot to death last week near Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The Argentine black and white tegu is multiplying and mobilizing in the backwoods and backyards of the Sunshine State — a creature more ominous than pythons because of its cold hardiness and indiscriminate palate.

A female black bear that had a plastic container stuck on her head for 28 days was freed with the help of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

Florida’s recreational red snapper quota in Gulf state and federal waters was met during the June 4 through July 28 open season, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced Friday.

The state is approaching 1,000 manatee deaths this year, from a population estimated around 8,800, with a large number of the deaths linked to poor water quality along the East Coast.

Add the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to the supporters of doing away with the mockingbird as the state bird during the 2022 legislative session.

The recreational harvest of flounder in all state and federal waters will close Oct. 15 and remain closed through Nov. 30, reopening Dec. 1.

Hundreds of boaters were out on the water Sunday during Labor Day weekend.

The first seven months of this year have seen a record 900-plus manatees die in Florida’s waterways.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is offering free hunter safety internet-completion courses in seven Northeast Florida counties during September.

Though it’s only July, the total number of Florida manatee deaths in 2021 has already reached a higher total than it did in all of 2020, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

U.S. Reps. John Rutherford (R-Jacksonville) and Stephanie Murphy (D-Orlando) introduced the Scientific Assistance for Very Endangered (SAVE) Right Whales Act that would invest $5 million annually in grants that states, nonprofits and members of the fishing and marine shipping industries can use to fund research and efforts that restore the North Atlantic right whale population.

A grand prize of $10,000 will be awarded to the person who removes the most pythons.

New this year, biologists will also ask permission to take a small piece of fin tissue from harvested fish for a large-scale genetics study to help estimate the total number of red snapper in the Atlantic population.

The FWC is cracking down on boaters under the influence as part of a statewide initiative called Operation Dry Water.

Manatees are having a difficult time in Florida. So far, 819 manatee fatalities have been recorded by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission through June 25. For perspective, that is 182 more manatee deaths than the total recorded in 2020.

Manatees are having a difficult time in Florida. So far, 749 manatee fatalities have been recorded by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission through May 21. That is 112 more manatee deaths compared to last year.

South Floridians are always on the lookout for creatures big and small, from alligators to pythons to disease-carrying mosquitoes. We can now add coyotes to that list.

An investigative reporter in Puerto Rico says he’s witnessed damaging effects that have been blamed on coal ash in his own country.

An internal email obtained by the News4JAX I-TEAM from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission details how much coal ash has spilled from a leaking barge off the coast of Atlantic Beach.

No fishing license, no worries -- at least for this weekend.

They say neither rain nor snow nor gloom of night will stop the U.S. Postal Service, but an alligator could get in the way.

Professional python hunters and amateurs alike can win prizes in Florida’s annual hunt for the Burmese pythons that are ravaging the state’s native species.

A new study says the hulking giants of the deep, North Atlantic right whales, are on average about three feet shorter than just 20 years ago.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, boating incidents were up 16% in 2020 compared to the previous year.

It’s the final day of “National Boating Safety Week” and if you plan to get out on the water for the holiday weekend, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has a warning for you.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is encouraging boaters to make safety a top priority.

Two men who relocate gopher tortoises are suing Florida’s wildlife commission.

Of 836 boating accidents in Florida last year, 402 involved collisions and 44% of those were due to the operator’s inattention or failing to maintain a proper lookout, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s 2020 statistical report.

There‘s now an easy way to find the nearest place to fish from shore.