By Lauren Roberson, The News Herald, Panama City, Fla. Aug. 16--PANAMA CITY BEACH -- Female sea turtles crawl ashore at night and lay about 100 eggs in the sand, never returning to check on the nest or the hatchlings.

By S. Brady Calhoun, The News Herald, Panama City, Fla. Apr. 1--If the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission passes a management plan to preserve, protect and grow the Panama City crayfish, The St. Joe Co. will be ahead of the curve.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has added an inch to the minimum size for snook, starting in September. Thursday, the FWC approved a rule to increase the snook minimum size limit to 27 inches total length. Previously, the minimum size was 26 inches.

By Andy Meinen, The News Herald, Panama City, Fla. Jun. 11--PANAMA CITY BEACH -- On its back, the brown horseshoe crab squirmed in Gail Gainey's hands. Its stubby legs desperately kicked the air while its long, pointy tail flipped back and forth.

Aug. 13--Alongtime commercial fisherman along the Gulf Coast, Mark Moore said he veered away from mullet fishing in 1997 because of the inadequacies of 2-inch fishing nets. Now, Moore said, he catches shrimp or whatever else he can find.