• The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is expected to hold a round of public meetings in November on proposals aimed at ending overfishing for red snapper and other snapper-grouper species. Meeting last week in Charleston, S.C., commissioners discussed closing large areas of federal waters extending from South Carolina to north-central Florida to all snapper-grouper fishing. No times or dates have been announced for the hearings, but they will be posted at www.safmc.net.

• The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will conduct two public workshops in South Florida this week on the permit fishery. The workshops were prompted by the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, which proposes to eliminate commercial harvest and sale of the species and make it catch-and-release only. Workshops will be held Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the IGFA, 300 Gulf Stream Way, Dania Beach, and Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Key Colony Beach City Hall, mile marker 53.5, U.S. 1.

• Big Cypress National Preserve has announced a preferred alternative for managing commercial services in its lands for the next 10 to 15 years -- excluding the 154,000-acre ``addition lands'' that are being handled separately. The alternative, developed over five years, would establish a main facility at Monroe Station, with a smaller one at Seagrape Drive, to provide hunting and fishing guides; buggy and hiking tours; boat and kayak rentals, tours and livery service; bicycle rentals and tours; van tours (limited to 15 passengers); and birding/wildlife tours. Public workshops are expected to be scheduled soon. To review the commercial services plan, go to nps.gov/bicy/parkmgmt/businesswithpreserve.htm.

-- SUSAN COCKING