HERNANDO BEACH — On any given day from May to early July, one or two dozen boats, most manned by experienced guides, troll the shallow waters off Hernando County. Their hunted game is silver king tarpon, a behemoth of a sport fish that's considered among the Gulf Of Mexico's most elusive species.

The hope of landing a prized tarpon lures some of the most dedicated saltwater anglers in the world. And to those in the know, the area from Bayport north to Homosassa Springs is prime ground where migrating tarpon gather before heading into deeper waters to spawn. Baseball great Ted Williams fished the area often. So have singer Harry Connick Jr. and golf legend Jack Nicklaus.

But the health of the area's tarpon is subject to constant debate. Some old-timers swear that the numbers have dwindled in Hernando waters in recent years. Others who make their living taking anglers out to catch the silver leviathan say that's not true.

In fact, most fishing guides in and around Hernando and Citrus counties said that this year's tarpon season, which winds to a close this month, offered plenty of action once the springtime cold fronts moved out of the region.

"It started about three weeks later than normal," said Jonathan Hamilton, who books charters out of Hernando Beach. "But everyone I talked to seemed very positive about the amount of fish they got."

Homosassa fishing guide Jim Long, a third-generation fisherman who has been plying his trade as a guide for 22 years, said that perhaps the toughest thing about tarpon season is predicting exactly when it will arrive.

"The biggest factor in fishing is always the weather," said Long, "You have to wait for the water to get warm enough to attract tarpon. The past couple of years that's happened later than usual, and that kind of throws things off a bit for people who plan vacations around tarpon season. But by June it was fantastic."

A couple of factors combine to make Hernando County's surrounding waters fertile with tarpon and the home of more tarpon fly-fishing records than any other place in the state. First is the depth, which drops a little more than a foot per mile for the first few miles offshore, leaving prime fishing waters between 3 and 10 feet deep. Next is the remarkable clarity of the water, which gives anglers like Hernando Beach resident and avid tarpon fly fisherman Bob Erra the opportunity to stand on the bows of their boats to view which fish they want to cast toward.

"If there was a better place to fish for tarpon, I'd be there," said Erra. "It's that fantastic."

Because tarpon are not fit for eating, the fishing is almost entirely of the catch-and-release variety. Anglers only keep their catch when there is a possibility of a world record, and then they are required to purchase a $50 tag.

Such was the case a few weeks ago when Brian Tang landed a 146-pound king using an ultra-lightweight fly rod outfitted with an 8-pound test tippet. Erra said the feat will likely earn the angler world-record status once the catch has been verified by the International Game Fish Association.

Tang, a doctor from Long Beach, Calif., is considered among the top tier of tarpon fishermen. The hunt for a world-record fish was the culmination of nearly 22 years of persistence and patience, plus the right setting for him and his longtime fishing guide, Al Doparik.

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"It took hours to finally bring that fish aboard," Erra said. "You can't help but be happy for him that he finally got what was going after."

While Erra admits that Hernando waters are revered as the state's most active tarpon grounds, he fears that could change if measures aren't taken to stop the exploitation of the fish by sportsmen. He dislikes the practice of night tarpon fishing because it involves chasing fish that are often seeking food and rest in areas outside the common sport fishing zone. Tarpon purists claim that the practice makes the fish "spooky" and forces them to seek refuge elsewhere.

"It really shouldn't be tolerated," Erra said. "If the tarpon decide to leave, they might never come back. And that would be a bad thing for everyone."

Contact Logan Neill at (352) 848-1435 or lneill@tampabay.com.

dpulver@gatehousemedia.com

A critically endangered right whale calf was spotted off Jacksonville on Friday — the first calf of the species seen in nearly two years, giving local whale watchers high hopes for the coming weeks.

The critically endangered right whales typically have migrated to the waters off the Florida and Georgia coasts from Canada and Maine each winter for a calving season. But last year, no right whales were seen off the Atlantic coast of Florida and no right whale calves were spotted anywhere along the entire United States Atlantic seaboard. Only five calves were counted the previous year.

Friday’s sighting was great news for whale enthusiasts and researchers.

The calf was seen with its mother swimming northward in the Atlantic near the mouth of the St. Johns River. The pair of whales were spotted by observers with Coastwise Consulting, who were watching for protected species aboard the dredge Bayport, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

“I’m excited and looking forward to seeing the new mom and her calf in the Volusia/Flagler area real soon,” said Frank Gromling, a member of the Marineland Right Whale Project and owner of the Ocean Art Gallery in Ormond Beach.

“The real key is that this mother-calf pair is a strong indication that this year is going to be a more active calving season for us and l look forward to seeing bunches of new moms and calves,” said Gromling.

The mother whale, Catalog No. 2791, was one of five individually identified females seen off the Georgia coast in December.

Whale watchers in Flagler County already were excited about whales after a couple of humpback whales were reported offshore this week. But it was the presence of female right whales off the Georgia coast that was the greater cause for celebration.

“To have five out of the six first whales seen down here possibly being pregnant females, that’s very hopeful,” said Julie Albert, coordinator of the right whale sighting hotline for the Marine Resources Council.

Two of the right whales were spotted southeast of Tybee Island, Georgia in mid-December. The whales, which can be up to 50 feet long and weigh up to 70 tons, can be individually identified by white patchy areas on their heads.

Considering the high number of right whale deaths in 2017 — 15 in all — last year’s lack of calves left experts and whale advocates even more gravely concerned about the future of the species. The estimated population of right whales in the North Atlantic has plummeted from around 500 in 2010 to only 411. Of those, only about 71 are believed to be females capable of giving birth to calves.

Gromling is among the local residents concerned about last winter’s dearth of calves.

“We can’t couple that with the high death rate,” he said. “It’s a major detriment to the potential survival of the species.”

Scientists and whale researchers are working on several fronts to try to protect the whales, including the development of more whale-friendly fishing gear, since commercial fishing gear and vessel strikes are among the leading causes of death.

Researchers estimate more than 80 percent of the right whale population has been entangled in fishing gear at some point in their lives. Gear can wrap around the animal’s mouth, get entangled in the baleen plates they use to filter microscopic marine life from sea water, and trailing gear creates a drag that consumes too much of the whale’s energy, endangering their lives and making it less likely they’ll have calves.

In November, a group of experts, including scientists at Duke University and the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean life, published a new study detailing how video simulations could illustrate how right whales become entangled in fishing lines.

“We don’t have a lot of observations, in fact we have almost have none of how whales get entangled in ropes,” stated Tim Werner, a senior scientist at the Aquarium. “If we can see how they get entangled, it would help us prevent it. The technology in computers has evolved to a state where we can model these things.”

Using a digital model of a whale, the group recreated rope configurations found on entangled whales.

“If you can re-create the way the rope wraps around the animal in the model, you can figure out how to change the gear to reduce the risk of entanglement all together,” Werner stated.

Whale advocates have been particularly concerned about the federal decision in November to allow seismic airgun testing for oil exploration in an area between Cape Canaveral and Cape May, New Jersey. A group of non-profit advocacy groups sued the federal government in December in an effort to stop the seismic blasting.

Filed in South Carolina, the lawsuit alleges the National Marine Fisheries Service violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act by authorizing the testing. The incidental harassment authorization allows five companies to harm or harass marine mammals during airgun blasting activities.

Groups signed on to the suit include Oceana, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Surfrider Foundation, Southern Environmental Law Center, Earth Justice, and the Coastal Conservation League.

While the ocean resources industry contends the method for exploring for additional oil and gas deposits is safe, ocean advocacy groups believe the seismic blasting is extremely dangerous to right whales, marine mammals, turtles and other sea life.

“We’re going to fight this, so we want to make sure the government reverses these unlawful actions,” said Diane Hoskins, campaign director for the ocean advocacy group Oceana. “This could be the stressor that takes this species to extinction.”

“Dolphins and whales rely on sound in order to find mates, communicate, avoid predators and really every vital life function,” she said. The blasts from the seismic testing would interfere with those life functions, she said, and increases the likelihood a calf could be separated from its mother.

The groups point out that almost every governor along the East Coast has voiced opposition to offshore drilling, as well as the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and numerous fishing groups such as the Southeastern Fisheries Association and the International Game Fish Association.

Oceana launched an interactive “We’re Watching” map to track possible seismic vessels off the Atlantic coast at Oceana.org/SeismicWatch.

The humpback whale sightings have been fun, Albert said. “On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we were getting calls on humpbacks, which is great,” she said. “Nobody is going to complain about seeing humpbacks.”

Anyone who sees a right whale or a humpback should report the sighting to the whale hotline, Albert said. That number is (888) 979-4253 (888-97-WHALE).

Albert will give a training talk on watching for right whales at 6 p.m. Jan. 17 at the Marine Discovery Center, 520 Barracuda Blvd., New Smyrna Beach.

RIGHT WHALE FACTS

Source: NOAA and Sea to Shore Alliance

Read the Daytona Beach News-Journal story at https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20181228/right-whale-watchers-rejoice-as-calf-spotted-off-jacksonville-coast.

Dinah Voyles Pulver: dinah.pulver@news-jrnl.com

dpulver@gatehousemedia.com

A critically endangered right whale calf was spotted off Jacksonville on Friday — the first calf of the species seen in nearly two years, giving local whale watchers high hopes for the coming weeks.

The critically endangered right whales typically have migrated to the waters off the Florida and Georgia coasts from Canada and Maine each winter for a calving season. But last year, no right whales were seen off the Atlantic coast of Florida and no right whale calves were spotted anywhere along the entire United States Atlantic seaboard. Only five calves were counted the previous year.

Friday’s sighting was great news for whale enthusiasts and researchers.

The calf was seen with its mother swimming northward in the Atlantic near the mouth of the St. Johns River. The pair of whales were spotted by observers with Coastwise Consulting, who were watching for protected species aboard the dredge Bayport, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

“I’m excited and looking forward to seeing the new mom and her calf in the Volusia/Flagler area real soon,” said Frank Gromling, a member of the Marineland Right Whale Project and owner of the Ocean Art Gallery in Ormond Beach.

“The real key is that this mother-calf pair is a strong indication that this year is going to be a more active calving season for us and l look forward to seeing bunches of new moms and calves,” said Gromling.

The mother whale, Catalog No. 2791, was one of five individually identified females seen off the Georgia coast in December.

Whale watchers in Flagler County already were excited about whales after a couple of humpback whales were reported offshore this week. But it was the presence of female right whales off the Georgia coast that was the greater cause for celebration.

“To have five out of the six first whales seen down here possibly being pregnant females, that’s very hopeful,” said Julie Albert, coordinator of the right whale sighting hotline for the Marine Resources Council.

Two of the right whales were spotted southeast of Tybee Island, Georgia in mid-December. The whales, which can be up to 50 feet long and weigh up to 70 tons, can be individually identified by white patchy areas on their heads.

Considering the high number of right whale deaths in 2017 — 15 in all — last year’s lack of calves left experts and whale advocates even more gravely concerned about the future of the species. The estimated population of right whales in the North Atlantic has plummeted from around 500 in 2010 to only 411. Of those, only about 71 are believed to be females capable of giving birth to calves.

Gromling is among the local residents concerned about last winter’s dearth of calves.

“We can’t couple that with the high death rate,” he said. “It’s a major detriment to the potential survival of the species.”

Scientists and whale researchers are working on several fronts to try to protect the whales, including the development of more whale-friendly fishing gear, since commercial fishing gear and vessel strikes are among the leading causes of death.

Researchers estimate more than 80 percent of the right whale population has been entangled in fishing gear at some point in their lives. Gear can wrap around the animal’s mouth, get entangled in the baleen plates they use to filter microscopic marine life from sea water, and trailing gear creates a drag that consumes too much of the whale’s energy, endangering their lives and making it less likely they’ll have calves.

In November, a group of experts, including scientists at Duke University and the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean life, published a new study detailing how video simulations could illustrate how right whales become entangled in fishing lines.

“We don’t have a lot of observations, in fact we have almost have none of how whales get entangled in ropes,” stated Tim Werner, a senior scientist at the Aquarium. “If we can see how they get entangled, it would help us prevent it. The technology in computers has evolved to a state where we can model these things.”

Using a digital model of a whale, the group recreated rope configurations found on entangled whales.

“If you can re-create the way the rope wraps around the animal in the model, you can figure out how to change the gear to reduce the risk of entanglement all together,” Werner stated.

Whale advocates have been particularly concerned about the federal decision in November to allow seismic airgun testing for oil exploration in an area between Cape Canaveral and Cape May, New Jersey. A group of non-profit advocacy groups sued the federal government in December in an effort to stop the seismic blasting.

Filed in South Carolina, the lawsuit alleges the National Marine Fisheries Service violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act by authorizing the testing. The incidental harassment authorization allows five companies to harm or harass marine mammals during airgun blasting activities.

Groups signed on to the suit include Oceana, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Surfrider Foundation, Southern Environmental Law Center, Earth Justice, and the Coastal Conservation League.

While the ocean resources industry contends the method for exploring for additional oil and gas deposits is safe, ocean advocacy groups believe the seismic blasting is extremely dangerous to right whales, marine mammals, turtles and other sea life.

“We’re going to fight this, so we want to make sure the government reverses these unlawful actions,” said Diane Hoskins, campaign director for the ocean advocacy group Oceana. “This could be the stressor that takes this species to extinction.”

“Dolphins and whales rely on sound in order to find mates, communicate, avoid predators and really every vital life function,” she said. The blasts from the seismic testing would interfere with those life functions, she said, and increases the likelihood a calf could be separated from its mother.

The groups point out that almost every governor along the East Coast has voiced opposition to offshore drilling, as well as the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and numerous fishing groups such as the Southeastern Fisheries Association and the International Game Fish Association.

Oceana launched an interactive “We’re Watching” map to track possible seismic vessels off the Atlantic coast at Oceana.org/SeismicWatch.

The humpback whale sightings have been fun, Albert said. “On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we were getting calls on humpbacks, which is great,” she said. “Nobody is going to complain about seeing humpbacks.”

Anyone who sees a right whale or a humpback should report the sighting to the whale hotline, Albert said. That number is (888) 979-4253 (888-97-WHALE).

Albert will give a training talk on watching for right whales at 6 p.m. Jan. 17 at the Marine Discovery Center, 520 Barracuda Blvd., New Smyrna Beach.

RIGHT WHALE FACTS

Source: NOAA and Sea to Shore Alliance

Read the Daytona Beach News-Journal story at https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20181228/right-whale-watchers-rejoice-as-calf-spotted-off-jacksonville-coast.

Dinah Voyles Pulver: dinah.pulver@news-jrnl.com

In one of the largest commercial real estate transactions along the Gulf Coast in the past five years, a Boca Raton investment firm and a Chicago financial partner have acquired the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay and adjacent Bayport Plaza office building for $226 million.

In the wake of the deal for the 444-room upscale hotel and 11-story office building, IP Capital Partners of Boca Raton and GEM Realty Capital Inc. are expected to embark on a major renovation and marketing plan aimed at better integrating the two properties.

“We think the overall product put together is superior to any other in the marketplace,” says Jason Isaacson, IP Capital’s president. “This real estate is more special than perhaps anything we’ve ever purchased in the past, and it’s one of the most exciting projects I’ve ever been involved with.”

IP Capital intends to expand the Rocky Point/Westshore Business District hotel’s 33,000 square feet of meeting space and upgrade the 265,976-square-foot office building’s lobby, bathrooms and common areas through a “heavy” capital investment, Isaacson says.

“Our job is to integrate these two properties in a way that’s never been done before in Tampa Bay,” Isaacson says. “And we’ll do that through a capital investment and by leveraging the components that are already there.

“We have an opportunity to take something that’s already stellar and create a homogenous hospitality and concierge high-touch experience. If we can execute our plan, the hotel will play off the office space and visa-versa, integrating the components of each to create a better whole.”

Bayport Plaza, completed in 1984, is currently 92% occupied. The Grand Hyatt was completed two years later. The waterfront hotel’s current amenities include a trio of food and beverage outlets, a pair of tennis courts, a 24-hour fitness center and a resort-style swimming pool.

IP Capital and its partner acquired the two properties from UBS Realty Investors Inc., of Hartford, Conn., according to Hillsborough County and state records.

UBS purchased the office building, at 3000 Bay Point Drive, in 2003 from Aetna Life Insurance Co. for an estimated $50 million. The investment firm bought the adjacent 14-story hotel seven years later from Hyatt Hotels Corp. for $58.5 million, according to a Hyatt Hotels press release announcing the sale.

Commercial real estate brokerage firm JLL negotiated the transaction on behalf of UBS, from in a Holliday Fenoglio Fowler (HFF) legacy deal.

The firm’s Preston Reid and Wyatt Krapf led the hotel sales effort, after former Senior Managing Director and head of HFF’s Hospitality Group Daniel Peek departed in late May.

Hermen Rodriguez, a JLL senior managing director, led the sales effort for Bayport Plaza.

JLL’s Chris Drew and Maxx Carney arranged acquisition financing for IP Capital and GEM, according to the brokerage firm.

JLL’s Reid notes that the Grand Hyatt should benefit from continued strength in Tampa’s tourism industry and a $2.64 billion expansion and renovation occurring at Tampa International Airport that is slated to result in increased flights and new air travel markets.

The hotel was valued at $145 million for the purpose of the sale, while the office building sold for $80.8 million.

Combined, the sale represents the largest commercial real estate transaction in the Tampa Bay area of 2019 and one of the largest Gulf Coast acquisitions of the past five years.

Other major sales since 2015 include the $214 million deal for the Don CeSar Hotel & Resort on St. Pete Beach in 2017; the $239.6 million purchase of the Mercato office and retail complex in Naples in 2015; the $198 million Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa last year; the $193.5 million transaction for the Bank of America Plaza office tower in downtown Tampa in 2015; and the LaPlaya Beach Resort & Club, also in Naples, which sold for $185.5 million in 2015.

Separately, the hotel deal ranks among the largest sales of the past year, eclipsed in price only by the Vinoy Renaissance Resort & Golf Club, which sold in August 2018 for $180 million.

The Bayport Plaza deal also ranks as one of the largest transactions in the Tampa area of the past year in the office sector. Only Starwood Capital Corp.’s $143.1 million purchase of the two-building Urban Centre in the Westshore area and Banyan Street Capital and Oaktree Capital Management’s $110 million deal for the 38-story Tampa City Center have been larger.

The acquisitions continue a string of office purchases in Tampa’s Westshore area by IP Capital, which was formed in 2012.

In addition to Bayport Center, IP Capital also owns the eight-story Westwood Center and the 13-story Airport Executive Center, and nine buildings that once belonged to Parkway Properties in Westshore. In 2015, it also bought the seven-building Center Point Business Center from MetLife.

The company also once owned the 19-story office tower at 501 E. Kennedy Blvd. in downtown Tampa.

“We’re big believers in the Tampa market, particularly Westshore,” Isaacson says. “Here, by adding Bayport and the Grand Hyatt to our portfolio, we believe we’ve bought one of the most iconic assets in all of Tampa. It’s fantastic real estate both locationally and aesthetically.”

In one of the largest commercial real estate transactions along the Gulf Coast in the past five years, a Boca Raton investment firm and a Chicago financial partner have acquired the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay and adjacent Bayport Plaza office building for $226 million.

In the wake of the deal for the 444-room upscale hotel and 11-story office building, IP Capital Partners of Boca Raton and GEM Realty Capital Inc. are expected to embark on a major renovation and marketing plan aimed at better integrating the two properties.

“We think the overall product put together is superior to any other in the marketplace,” says Jason Isaacson, IP Capital’s president. “This real estate is more special than perhaps anything we’ve ever purchased in the past, and it’s one of the most exciting projects I’ve ever been involved with.”

IP Capital intends to expand the Rocky Point/Westshore Business District hotel’s 33,000 square feet of meeting space and upgrade the 265,976-square-foot office building’s lobby, bathrooms and common areas through a “heavy” capital investment, Isaacson says.

“Our job is to integrate these two properties in a way that’s never been done before in Tampa Bay,” Isaacson says. “And we’ll do that through a capital investment and by leveraging the components that are already there.

“We have an opportunity to take something that’s already stellar and create a homogenous hospitality and concierge high-touch experience. If we can execute our plan, the hotel will play off the office space and visa-versa, integrating the components of each to create a better whole.”

Bayport Plaza, completed in 1984, is currently 92% occupied. The Grand Hyatt was completed two years later. The waterfront hotel’s current amenities include a trio of food and beverage outlets, a pair of tennis courts, a 24-hour fitness center and a resort-style swimming pool.

IP Capital and its partner acquired the two properties from UBS Realty Investors Inc., of Hartford, Conn., according to Hillsborough County and state records.

UBS purchased the office building, at 3000 Bay Point Drive, in 2003 from Aetna Life Insurance Co. for an estimated $50 million. The investment firm bought the adjacent 14-story hotel seven years later from Hyatt Hotels Corp. for $58.5 million, according to a Hyatt Hotels press release announcing the sale.

Commercial real estate brokerage firm JLL negotiated the transaction on behalf of UBS, from in a Holliday Fenoglio Fowler (HFF) legacy deal.

The firm’s Preston Reid and Wyatt Krapf led the hotel sales effort, after former Senior Managing Director and head of HFF’s Hospitality Group Daniel Peek departed in late May.

Hermen Rodriguez, a JLL senior managing director, led the sales effort for Bayport Plaza.

JLL’s Chris Drew and Maxx Carney arranged acquisition financing for IP Capital and GEM, according to the brokerage firm.

JLL’s Reid notes that the Grand Hyatt should benefit from continued strength in Tampa’s tourism industry and a $2.64 billion expansion and renovation occurring at Tampa International Airport that is slated to result in increased flights and new air travel markets.

The hotel was valued at $145 million for the purpose of the sale, while the office building sold for $80.8 million.

Combined, the sale represents the largest commercial real estate transaction in the Tampa Bay area of 2019 and one of the largest Gulf Coast acquisitions of the past five years.

Other major sales since 2015 include the $214 million deal for the Don CeSar Hotel & Resort on St. Pete Beach in 2017; the $239.6 million purchase of the Mercato office and retail complex in Naples in 2015; the $198 million Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa last year; the $193.5 million transaction for the Bank of America Plaza office tower in downtown Tampa in 2015; and the LaPlaya Beach Resort & Club, also in Naples, which sold for $185.5 million in 2015.

Separately, the hotel deal ranks among the largest sales of the past year, eclipsed in price only by the Vinoy Renaissance Resort & Golf Club, which sold in August 2018 for $180 million.

The Bayport Plaza deal also ranks as one of the largest transactions in the Tampa area of the past year in the office sector. Only Starwood Capital Corp.’s $143.1 million purchase of the two-building Urban Centre in the Westshore area and Banyan Street Capital and Oaktree Capital Management’s $110 million deal for the 38-story Tampa City Center have been larger.

The acquisitions continue a string of office purchases in Tampa’s Westshore area by IP Capital, which was formed in 2012.

In addition to Bayport Center, IP Capital also owns the eight-story Westwood Center and the 13-story Airport Executive Center, and nine buildings that once belonged to Parkway Properties in Westshore. In 2015, it also bought the seven-building Center Point Business Center from MetLife.

The company also once owned the 19-story office tower at 501 E. Kennedy Blvd. in downtown Tampa.

“We’re big believers in the Tampa market, particularly Westshore,” Isaacson says. “Here, by adding Bayport and the Grand Hyatt to our portfolio, we believe we’ve bought one of the most iconic assets in all of Tampa. It’s fantastic real estate both locationally and aesthetically.”