FISH History
Because of its strong linkage of Community/Place/Occupation the residents of the historical Cortez Fishing Village have a long memory and a world view that is ecologically centered on the water that surrounds them.
As a smart fisherman will keep a weather eye on clouds on the distant horizon, the community pulled together when large scale waterfront development loomed. In 1991 they combined a cultural organization, the Cortez Village Historical Society (CVHS), and a commercial fishing organization, the Organized Fishermen of Florida (O.F.F.) and became an activist organization, the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (F.I.S.H.).
The grass roots not for profit was established and received its IRS 501(c)(3) status in May of that year with a mission statement that commits it to preserving the character and heritage of Florida's traditional waterfront communities within the natural environment that has nurtured people in fishing communities for thousands of years.
The unique folkways of traditional Gulf Coast communities are under a great deal of pressure from such diverse forces as foreign markets, environmental legislation, and changes in land use that follow a disturbing pattern. Residential developers, the recreational fishing industry and promoters of tourism all seek the waterfront for purposes that are often hostile to the life-ways of Florida's traditional working waterfronts.
Few of Florida's traditional fishing villages have been able to retain their cultural integrity. Often succumbing to developers, high fuel bills and high property taxes. Undisturbed natural habitat, fish houses, boatyards, marinas and other forms of public access that have coexisted for a hundred years and more are disappearing. The practice of re-evaluating waterfront land for the 'highest and best use' higher tax base have left most waterborne businesses with little choice but to sell the property for new high dollar Condos or other forms of intense development, regardless of lost jobs and a negatively impacted quality of life.
As a smart fisherman will keep a weather eye on clouds on the distant horizon, the community pulled together when large scale waterfront development loomed. In 1991 they combined a cultural organization, the Cortez Village Historical Society (CVHS), and a commercial fishing organization, the Organized Fishermen of Florida (O.F.F.) and became an activist organization, the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (F.I.S.H.).
The grass roots not for profit was established and received its IRS 501(c)(3) status in May of that year with a mission statement that commits it to preserving the character and heritage of Florida's traditional waterfront communities within the natural environment that has nurtured people in fishing communities for thousands of years.
The unique folkways of traditional Gulf Coast communities are under a great deal of pressure from such diverse forces as foreign markets, environmental legislation, and changes in land use that follow a disturbing pattern. Residential developers, the recreational fishing industry and promoters of tourism all seek the waterfront for purposes that are often hostile to the life-ways of Florida's traditional working waterfronts.
Few of Florida's traditional fishing villages have been able to retain their cultural integrity. Often succumbing to developers, high fuel bills and high property taxes. Undisturbed natural habitat, fish houses, boatyards, marinas and other forms of public access that have coexisted for a hundred years and more are disappearing. The practice of re-evaluating waterfront land for the 'highest and best use' higher tax base have left most waterborne businesses with little choice but to sell the property for new high dollar Condos or other forms of intense development, regardless of lost jobs and a negatively impacted quality of life.
For more information about the Florida Commercial Fishing Industry, click here to visit In Their Own Words: Perseverance and Resilience in Two Florida Fishing Communities .Special Thanks to Mike Jepson, University of Florida, Gainesville,
who has done extensive research in Cortez.
“As a Florida novelist and former full-time fishing guide, I have a vested and passionate interest in the future of this great state as well as our rich, rich fishing history. Because of that, I fully support and endorse the objectives and good work being done by the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage, Cortez, Florida, and the historic fabric still visible there, is one of our small, bright treasures and deserves to be preserved.” Randy Wayne White, Author
“As a Florida novelist and former full-time fishing guide, I have a vested and passionate interest in the future of this great state as well as our rich, rich fishing history. Because of that, I fully support and endorse the objectives and good work being done by the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage, Cortez, Florida, and the historic fabric still visible there, is one of our small, bright treasures and deserves to be preserved.” Randy Wayne White, Author