NOVEMBER COULD BE HOT IN MORE WAYS THAN FISHING! Ok, I’m just one of tens of millions of hard working, tax paying US CITIZENS that have had enough of this BS in our everyday lives, much less our inshore, nearshore and offshore fishing regulations dictated to us by non-elected bureaucrats. I’m going to skip all the politically correct verbiage and rip the Band-Aid off our current situation in this article.
Regarding our fisheries regulations, I think our state regulators are very similar to our national fisheries regulators, they are here to keep us divided. We as fisherman, both recreational and commercial, agree on a lot more than we realize. Bear in mind we were the original conservationist until the regulators gotinvolved with the support of a lot of well-funded three and four letter agencies.
These agencies dictated policies that were unsubstantiated by evidence, but more so by lobbyist and big money. For example, Gag grouper, and Red snapper. I have been commercial, charter, and recreational fishing offshore for more than 40 years, and I can honestly say I’ve never seen more American Red snapper and Gag grouper than now. Yes, we saw a much larger class of Gag grouper decades ago, but the numbers are off the chain right now. The American Red snapper numbers have never been what they are now, yet we are told by regulators that they are endangered. I’m good friends with a lot of divers, commercial fisherman, and very savvy recreational anglers that will all tell you the same exact thing…
They have never seen Gag grouper, and American red snapper numbers like they are currently witnessing.
This could be just one arm of the Bureaucratic octopus, BUT… What if, what if, the people that control these agencies (CREATING THE LAWS) reducing the limits and quotas for both recreational and commercial industries would be interested in buying the properties of the commercial and recreational fishermen by choking them out financially. Do these regulatory agencies receive funding from large companies (sometimes real estate companies) … would they like to purchase the property of these recreational angler related, and commercial fishing families??? These are properties owned by generations of fishermen before us and are worth more than just ill sought money.
If these agencies did the right thing, they would (at very minimum) properly survey these areas being regulated, with underwater film footage. Prove to us you are telling us all the truth and…Give us the ability to have a “tag system” for grouper and American red snapper similar to a deer stamp or a turkey stamp. You can catch “X” amount (of tagged fish) per year on whatever days you choose to go, and not a complete shutdown without accurate data and very narrow windows of days per year to fish.
How about flounder??? Whole other article… Something has got to give.
CAPTAIN TIM BAREFOOT
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