For more than 22 years Florida's Wildlife Alert reward program has served as a model for citizen participation in reporting wildlife crimes. Now, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has expanded the program to include boating under the influence (BUI) as a category for reward payments.

At its March meeting in Gainesville, the 13-member Wildlife Alert Reward Association agreed to authorize the payment of rewards for information leading to the arrest of individuals who operate a vessel while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Under Florida laws, any boat operator who has a .08 or higher blood alcohol reading, or operates a vessel while under the influence of drugs, is subject to arrest.

"Including boating under the influence as a category where a reward can be paid is a natural extension of the program," said Amos Morris, longtime chairman of the Wildlife Alert Reward Association. " Recreational fishermen or boaters are at risk where vessel operators are intoxicated, and hopefully having more eyes on the water to observe boating activity will be helpful."

The Wildlife Alert program began in 1979 under the former Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission. The agency modeled it after a similar program already in existence in New Mexico. From the program's earliest days violations of freshwater fish or wildlife laws were reported to the nearest GFC regional office, and if an officer made an arrest, a reward could be paid ranging from $25 to $1,000, depending on the seriousness of the violation. Since then, the program has paid out more than $300,000 in reward and resulted in 20,000 arrests.

Another recent change to the program has been implementation of a single phone number for all Wildlife Alert calls. Callers anywhere in
Florida who see a violation of fish or wildlife laws can call (888) 404-3922 (FWCC) or, in most areas of the state, by using a cellular phone and dialing #FWC. Calls will be routed to the nearest FWC regional office and an officer dispatched immediately.