Photos of Gov. Rick Scott’s latest “Let’s Get to Work" Day, this time as a shrimp boat striker, have been posted on his Facebook page.

During his 12th work day, Scott spent Wednesday on Captain Mike’s shrimp boat in Nassau County promoting the seafood industry.

“There are people like Captain Mike, who work hard day in and day out to provide for their families and keep Florida’s economy moving in the right direction, and I am proud to work alongside him today,” Scott stated in a release.

According to the release:

Gov. Scott’s work day began when he arrived at Captain Mike Adams’ dock in Yulee, along the Bells River, at 4:45 a.m. After meeting the ship’s captain and his one-person crew, Gov. Scott began filling coolers with ice to prepare for the day’s catch. 

Once Captain Mike’s shrimp boat, the "Bag Boy," was loaded and ready to set sail for the fishing grounds, Gov. Scott had the opportunity to listen to Captain Mike discuss the challenges and benefits of being a second-generation shrimper fishing the inland waterways.

Gov. Scott assisted Captain Mike in deploying the nets and trawling the Bells River and the Jolly River in Nassau County. As a licensed commercial fisherman, Captain Mike typically brings in seven pulls of shrimp throughout the day, and his boat is certified to hold up to 5,500 pounds of the delicious seafood.

Once each load of shrimp was brought on board, Gov. Scott helped sort the shrimp and pack it on ice for transporting to market at the end of the fishing day. Any by-catch, fish and other marine life. other than shrimp, were quickly returned to the river.

At the end of the day, Gov. Scott helped prepare the nets and equipment for the next day’s run. Upon returning to the dock, he helped move the coolers, each weighing about 50 pounds and fully loaded with shrimp and ice, from the "Bag Boy" to Captain Mike’s truck for the trip to the local seafood market. At the market it will be sorted, weighed and sold to wholesale distributors, local restaurants and shoppers. Captain Mike and Gov. Scott brought in about 450 pounds of wild shrimp.

About Florida’s Commercial Seafood Industry

Florida’s seafood industry has a $5.7 billion impact on Florida’s economy and provides about 110,000 jobs. The estimated total commercial harvest for all shrimp in Florida produces about 20 million pounds and is worth about $40 million. Florida’s shrimp industry extends beyond the inland waters into the Atlantic Ocean, as well as in the Gulf. In 2011, Florida’s east coast shrimpers caught 10 million pounds of wild shrimp, and in the Gulf, Florida shrimpers caught 9.6 million pounds.



Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.