PLANT CITY, Fla. – It’s blackberry season, and a Hillsborough County strawberry grower said he’s among the central Florida farmers adding blackberries to their crops with the help of University of Florida agriculture researchers.

Blackberries are a new crop for Matt Parke. Now in their second blackberry growing season at Parkesdale Farms in Dover and Plant City, Parke said there was definitely a learning curve.

“Last year, I was kind of scratching my head thinking I made a big mistake. This is a big investment. I was like we might have made a mistake,” said Parke. “This year how everything happened, what the crop looks like, we’re going to do really well with it.”

The fruit needs a lot of cold days, so Parke said he had to learn some tricks with spraying.

“It triggers it into thinking it’s been through a winter. And now it’s spring, let me open up and every bud that breaks is going to be like five or six berries on it,” said Parke.

Researchers with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences are working to figure out which kinds of blackberries grow best in the Tampa Bay area. UF/IFAS’s Zhanao Deng, a plant breeder and professor at Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Wimauma, said they are looking at a couple of blackberry varieties for central Florida, developing new varieties, pest control and other technologies to help farmers.

READ: Celebrating the strawberry: Parkesdale Farm Market strawberry shortcake

“They will be born here. They will be evaluated and selected for Florida growers here,” said Deng.

He said they’re working with more citrus and strawberry growers.

“They face a lot of challenges and competition from other countries, so they are interested in diversifying their crops,” said Deng.

Parkesdale Farms has some rows of UF’s blackberry breeds, and it could become more common.

“I think it could be an emerging crop. There’s still some work that has to be done with it to fine tune the process for central Florida,” said Parke.

After the rise and fall of other fruit crops in Florida, blackberries show signs of a steadier future.

READ: How Plant City’s ‘Strawberry Sue’ became a champion for Florida’s strawberry industry

“The blueberry market has totally crashed. Peru has flooded our market with the way they’re producing them year-round. You know, there used to be a lot of blueberry farms around here, but that’s all declined,” said Parke. “This is not over saturated yet. This commodity is not over saturated, and I want to capitalize on it while I can.”

Parke said the agriculture industry is always changing, and blackberries could make central Florida’s future in agriculture even sweeter.

“You always gotta be looking forward and trying to evolve with the industry, and I think this is one way that we can evolve moving forward,” said Parke.

Parke said Parkesdale Farms fills about 4,000 to 5,000 boxes a week, and up to 15,000 boxes a week of blackberries during peak season. Parke said they currently ship blackberries to Canada, but they will look into adding Publix and Walmart into the mix.

SIGN UP: Click here to sign up for the FOX 13 daily newsletter

WATCH FOX 13 NEWS

Boaters were caught on camera over the weekend dumping trash into the ocean off the coast of Boca Raton, Florida, prompting an investigation by Florida state law enforcement.

Florida Fish and Wildlife officials said they have identified a group of young boaters who dumped trash right into south Florida waters.

“We know where the violation occurred,” said Tyson Matthews, Florida Fish and Wildlife Public Information Officer. “It’s just a matter of following through and applying the appropriate charges now.”

The video shows the group, boating in large swells, dumping two garbage cans full of trash in the ocean — and appearing to celebrate.

Drone video later captured the debris floating on top of the water.

“We’re upset. Our job is to protect Florida’s resources,” Matthews said.

Wavy Boats, the owner of the company that filmed the video that recorded the illegal act, said they spotted the boat leaving an event called “Boca Bash.”

The video captures the boat full of alleged minors engaging in underage drinking and eventually dumping all their trash into the ocean.

The police were notified immediately. The group then allegedly rejoined the party after dumping the trash in the ocean.

Florida Fish and Wildlife said that actions like these harm not only the environment, but the livelihoods of the local community.

“It’s littering. It’s polluting the environment,” Matthew said. “It can cause significant damage to our marine resources. There’s several levels of violations here.”

Get your prized fishing rods ready. It’s almost red snapper season!

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the record 103-day 2024 Gulf Red Snapper recreational season, breaking last year’s record of 87 days.

“I am proud to announce that this snapper season will be the longest season since our state took over red snapper management in the Gulf,” DeSantis said. “Florida is proud to be the Fishing and Boating Capital of the World.” 

What is red snapper?

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, red snapper are “long-lived, early-maturing reef fish that are broadly distributed in the Gulf of Mexico.” They are also found along the eastern coasts of North America, Central America, and northern South America.

NOAA further details that red snapper can grow at a moderate rate, sometimes reaching 40 inches across and 50 pounds. Those in deeper waters tend to be redder than those caught in shallower waters.

When is red snapper season 2024 in Florida?

Those fishing from private recreational vessels or charter vessels will be able to participate in the 2024 Gulf red snapper season.

The 61-day summer season will begin on June 1 and continue through July 31. The 42-day fall season is the longest fall season since the beginning of state management and spans the following weekend dates:

• September 1–2 (Sunday through Monday of Labor Day Weekend)
• September 6–8
• September 13–15
• September 20–22
• September 27–29
• October 4–6
• October 11–13
• October 18–20
• October 25–27
• November 1–3
• November 8–11 (Veterans Day Weekend)
• November 15–17
• November 22–24 
• November 28–30 (Thursday through Saturday of Thanksgiving Weekend) 

How many red snapper can you keep per day in Florida?

State and federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico allow you to keep two Red Snappers, as per the FWC. The same goes for Atlantic Ocean state waters.

However, the limit is one Red Snapper per person in federal waters in the Atlantic.

Do I need a fishing license to catch red snapper?

No unless you plan to go out on your own.

If you plan to fish for red snapper in state or federal waters from a private recreational vessel, even if you are exempt from fishing license requirements, you must sign up as a State Reef Fish Angler (annual renewal required) at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com. 

Can I keep the red snapper I catch?

Yes, as long as its within the legal size and in accordance with the latest rules and regulations. On the Gulf, the minimum size of your Red Snapper catch has to be 16 inches, while on the Atlantic side of Florida, there’s a 20-inch minimum.

What is the red snapper’s habitat?

Red snapper are generally found at 30 to 620 feet deep in the water. NOAA says larval red snapper swim freely within the water column while juveniles live in shallow waters over sandy or muddy bottom habitat.

As for adult snappers, experts explain they live on the bottom, usually near hard structures on the continental shelf that have moderate to high relief (such as coral reefs, artificial reefs, rocks, ledges, and caves), sloping soft-bottom areas, and limestone deposits.

Where is the best red snapper fishing in Florida?

The Fishing Booker highlights Pensacola as the best place for catching red snapper.

“Florida is one of the best states to catch yourself a couple of these beauties, and Pensacola tops the bill,” the fishing website writes. “The main reason is the large number of artificial reefs that attract all kinds of bottom dwellers. Red Snapper is the most prominent catch on offshore bottom fishing charters, where you can easily hook into a twenty-pounder.”

They also note the waters in the area get deep quickly, so you can get a snapper even in Pensacola Bay.

As for other places around Florida, the website noted these four sites:

• The Florida Panhandle – Specifically from Perdido Key, Pensacola, and Fort Walton Beach to Destin and Panama City
• Tampa
• Volusia County
• Treasure Coast