Eatery named after Buffett served protected game fish

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—When a fishing captain walked into JWB Prime Steak and Seafood in the Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort last week, he was on the hunt for a good meal.

But as soon as he picked up the menu, something caught his eye. At the top, listed as the “locally speared fish” of the day, was permit.

The problem: It’s illegal to sell permit commercially, let alone speared.

Now, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating the incident at the restaurant, which is named after singer and conservationist Jimmy Buffett.

“Currently, the FWC is still looking into the allegation. No report has been completed yet, and our law enforcement division is still trying to verify that the information printed on the menu was factual,” said Robert Klepper, spokesman of the FWC’s law enforcement division. “Generally, when Florida law prohibits the pur- chase and sale of any particular species, the violation is often classified as a second degree misdemeanor. A number of factors are considered since every case is unique, and officers may elect to provide education, warn or cite.”

Upon seeing the menu on Aug. 7, captain Wes Bedell, owner of On a Mission Fishing Charters in Naples, said he immediately reported it to his friend, Ross Boucek, who is the Florida Keys initiative manager of Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, a science-based, nonprofit conservation organization that collects data on flats fisheries and habitats, and works with the state on protections.

“I was really shocked when I saw it on the menu,” said Bedell, who was in Hollywood for the night. “There are a lot of other fish they could be serving besides a highly protected one like the permit.”

The trust reached out to the restaurant the next day to explain the regulations.