Tommy’s wife Kelly said, "He's been
a very big facilitator for clean water
advocacy, and I think that's why they
chose him for the award."
BTT has many ongoing and
completed research projects and
initiatives that have achieved significant
results in its efforts to learn more
about and protect fisheries and
habitats. Very little was known about
bonefish, tarpon and permit when BTT
was founded in 1997, and scientific
results from its efforts are critical to
informing fishery management and
educating the public.
One particular event really
motivated Tommy to get involved with
BTT. He had just returned from guiding
in Homosassa and went to check out
the water in Boca Grande Pass. He saw numerous
tarpon – some150 pounds and larger – floating on
top of the water. A tarpon tournament was held two
days earlier, and the fish died as a result of how they
were handled during the tournament.
"I became so angry because I knew they were
killing these fish by the way they
treated them," he said. "And that
got me really fired up.”
Tommy worked effortlessly
with several others and teamed
up with organizations that
changed the way certain breeds
of fish were treated. Tarpon are
now strictly “catch-and-release (with the exception
of one per year in pursuit of a record), and captains
teach proper fish handling skills during their trips and
tournaments.
Long fight times result in exhausted fish, which
are more vulnerable to predators. A fish reeled
in too quickly is more likely to thrash around and
potentially injure itself.
Tommy also works closely with Captains for
Clean Water, a grassroots non-profit organization
advocating for clean water and
healthy estuaries across South
Florida.
The good news is that BTT
has been working with Captains
for Clean Water and other
organizations like Everglades
Restoration and Bull Sugar.
"It's all tied together; they are all starting to
affiliate with one another, which is somewhat of
a relief,” Tommy said.
Seasonally, he offers duck and gator hunting
adventures on Lake Okeechobee. He utilizes an
airboat for extreme shallow-water fishing during
the winter months around Boca Grande.
Tommy’s experienced guides are United States
Coast Guard licensed captains and native Florida
“Crackers” who have hunted and fished across
the state for decades. Guests can expect a true
“Old Florida” experience.
Lake Okeechobee duck hunting trips are
offered from September through January.
Visitors to Gasparilla Island can also charter
airboat excursions with Tommy to learn and
experience the beauty of Charlotte Harbor’s
backcountry.
Capt. Tommy
Locke with Jim
McDuffie of
Bonefish
& Tarpon Trust.
“If we lose the Everglades, we're
going to lose the state of Florida.
The fishery will die, and
everything will go away.”
Tommy Locke
36 GASPARILLA ISLAND May/June 2019
Marshall, Tommy, Kelly, Wyatt and Wesley Locke
after Tommy was honored with the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust’s 2019
Flats Stewardship Award.