Fisherfolk of Southwest Florida | Untold Stories | Florida History Fishing Documentary

For more than 6,000 years, Southwest Florida's rich estuaries have been fished for food. In this series historians and long-time commercial fishermen tell the story of Southwest Florida's "fisherfolk," from the ancient Calusas, who left a legacy of shell mounds--and more--to the rise and fall of mullet fishing.
The first pages of the early history of Cape Coral, Florida were written in the blood of dead soldiers. But its future came to life in the fertile imagination of dreamers. Before the Rosen brothers conjured up this booming city, the Calusa roamed, Seminoles battled U.S. soldiers, Cracker settlers raised cattle and cut timber and rich northerners fled civilizations to hunt and fish.
The sunshine state has a rich and colorful history. For hundreds of years the state has attracted dreamers, opportunists, inventors and fortune-seekers. WGCU's Untold Stories aims to preserve the history of Southwest Florida communities.
Follow us!
Facebook: / wgcupublicmedia
Twitter: / wgcu
Instagram: / wgcupublicmedia
WGCU PBS & NPR for Southwest Florida
Fisherfolk of Southwest Florida | Untold Stories | Florida History Fishing Documentary
#UntoldStories #WGCU #Fishing

[@CarrieGerenScogginsOfficial]

What a wonderful era to have lived, and to have been able to be on the water daily. They lived a wonderful life, as Florida at that time when undeveloped, was an awesome place to be. Beautiful islands with almost no one on them, no high rise hotels, no subdivisions, mansions, or businesses crowding everyone out. Too bad we can not go back in time. I thank you WGGU for these videos of the history of Florida.

[@kjnest]

Moved to Florida a few years ago from Massachusetts! Love to learn about the history of this area! Thank you!

[@tourdechi]

I love Pine Island and SW Florida. Thank you for these documentaries.

[@dennisbell2583]

My mom and stepfather worked on a boat. My stepdad was the captain and has told me so many stories. I loved going to the Fort Myers Docs to go pick him up after fishing, he would walk up to the car holding a big bag of shrimp before they put the preservative on it. it was good times it has changed so much for the worse and now hurricane Ian has destroyed those docs but they were being sold to developers anyway for yacht docking. I love that place! I remember some of the old timers too like Rusty!

[@BornAgain717]

Great documentary!

[@Psionetics]

Fascinating, thanks for sharing!

[@jamesdelaney3797]

There is sftill mullet runs in huge bumbers. Ive seen it with my own eyes

[@getonlygotonly]

should of had totch tell y'all bout the square grouper, what happened between him and the first ranger sent to protect the new national park and other stories from his life.. he lived a very full life and I learned a lot from him

[@vnonkwinn6233]

Rock pits were big on Mullet fishing in sixty's

[@billmadison2032]

Was this filmed before or after Charlie because I wonder if those houses are still there?

[@mikekuczynski1552]

Interesting to see how this has evolved over the centuries. On one hand I feel for the people who’s families made a living off commercial fishing on the other I don’t. When they talk about theirs no more fish in one breath and regulating the industry in the next there is a reason , overfishing. As we all know now in 2023 our fish stocks have been decimated around the world but yet we’re still resistant to regulations to help stop anymore damage . Leave it to humans to think we can control natural. Thanks for sharing this .

[@greghenner4978]

Just make fishing rod and reel only, nobody can over fish the water 1 by 1. It's the big net boats that catch up all the fish then half of those are wasted from not being bought or eaten by the consumer. I've fished and commercial fished and the commercial fisherman are basically the ones that killed their own industry by forcing the government to enact regulations

[@AnotherFloridaCracker]

​@greghenner4978 As I 4th generation Floridian it's definitely this, my family played it's part back in the day, but we all abide now. It's necessary for our survival as a species.

[@alphasxsignal]

They banned Gill nets and that was the end of the great mullet fishing. I was born in Florida and have seen what it did.

[@primate2744]

But they didn't ban sugar run off. Now look where we are.

[@tracyday6710]

Watermen. I knew a few. ✌️

[@davescheer5038]

It’s all about the money for the state , been in Florida for more than half my life, what once was pristine beaches and a retirees dream has turned into a nightmare, it’s now 2023 more than 900 people a day move to Florida , and the currant administration is really messing things up , fishing as I knew it is gone forever, used to be able to stop anywhere to go fishing from shore now new bridges and paid parking took over , it’s not old Florida anymore , all the newbies from other states are coming here and trashing what was a beautiful place , homeless people that can’t make it here set a bad example of our state , the traffic is horrendous, and now we’re being invaded by illegals from Biden’s open boarder policy , our present governor has been doing a fantastic job but he’s not going to be able to stop our state from being over run, sad 😔

[@dennisbell2583]

I want to know the history of my Neighborhood Pine Ridge Estates it definitely has a long history some of it dark

[@JesseHBrewer]

"SOME of it"?

[@donniegardner6294]

What kind of dark history?

[@glennquagmire1747]

Greed killed your heritage!!!

[@oldflorida2003]

No see-ms and mosquitoes had to be unbearable, remember your first camp

[@timboc105]

Humans destroys all good things eventually! Born and raised Floridian of 57years and it's sad to see nowadays

[@buckkw5108]

Catching a Tarpon is the stupidest thing in the world..

[@timboc105]

​@buckkw5108 Okay Bucky Boy

[@daniel8728]

What an Idiot!

[@Mentallydisturbed_]

Only if people knew the American Indians are really Spanish people who are natives in South America. They made their way to America through the Amazons and then started making their own tribes

[@JesseHBrewer]

Aww, poor babies can't wipe out the few remaining fish with their gillnets! Breaks my heart that a multigenerational tradition of rapacious, destructive exploitation should not be able to continue. I watched the whole destructive process from the 1950s onward, and I KNOW whom to blame. Humans are cockroaches.

[@johnmiller935]

Glad somebody sees it right!!

[@greghenner4978]

Yep, the commercial fishermen basically killed their own industry trying to see who could be the biggest and baddest fisherman and catch the most fish.

[@kittikatt999]

Yet there are still hoards of mullet!? Wow! How can that be if they were almost wiped out. You sir obviously have NO idea about how they reproduce and live. Keep listening to bs crap told to you by big farm corporations. Just another user. Let me guess, you didn't know that burger you ate had a face at one point? So it's better to raise animals in cages and force feed them antibiotics and growth hormones. Might want to educate yourself because you sound stupid crying on your soapbox there.

[@jimfoley8014]

Deferentialism.

[@blessedglasgow7548]

Aye! Wen u ck it; buck brkn startd dere… Jamaica was expert in brkn men! As many didn’t mak it 2da mtns 🥲