The city of Anna Maria is negotiating with Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium to bring a marine learning center to the Anna Maria City Pier.
If it comes to fruition, the center may offer live animal exhibits, interactive exhibits and education programs. Mote Marine is a Sarasota-based marine research nonprofit that operates an aquarium in Sarasota, as well as centers in Key West and Islamorada similar to the one proposed in Anna Maria.
“The community of Anna Maria has a great connection to the marine environment,” Mote Marine President & CEO Michael P. Crosby said. “The restored Anna Maria Island City Pier presents an additional location where Mote can connect folks with our marine research, how they can interact and conserve the waters around Anna Maria, and tell the long history of the community’s relationship with the marine environment.”
Anna Maria Island is settling into a wintertime fishing pattern, including frequent cold fronts.
Picking days to head out on the water may prove challenging as we face many winter days of strong winds and rough seas.
This being said, watch the weather forecasts and narrow trips to the warmest days with the least wind.
If you’re strictly an inshore angler, this isn’t quite as crucial, as it’s fairly easy to get around and avoid the cold wind in the backcountry.
But, if you’re planning on getting out in the Gulf of Mexico, you’ll want to pay close attention to conditions.