AS SEEN IN THE JAN/FEB 2008 ISSUE 

CCA Florida Announces 2007 Legislative Conservation Awards - Wright Taylor

Florida’s lawmakers really know how to make my blood boil. To think that certain laws could be passed that would put our wildlife in danger just doesn't seem comprehensible to me. Sometimes I feel that orange groves and theme parks are the only things that seem to matter; and then there's golf. Oh well, enough of my personal opinions…

AS SEEN IN THE JAN/FEB 2008 ISSUE

LEGISLATION TO SAVE MENHADEN INTRODUCED - Gary Caputi

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand that to rebuild stocks of the many game fish currently under state and federal management plans; you better have a strong forage base to support them. This concept continues to elude fishery managers- especially those at the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. While they play lip service to the concept of “ecosystem management” they have failed to grasp the concept that managing predator and prey species synergistically is the most basic way to achieve an ecosystem based approach to improving fish stocks. Fact is, if fishery managers do not extend serious protection to forage fish, all the efforts put into game fish stock rebuilding programs will hit a brick wall.

AS SEEN IN THE MARCH/APRIL 2007 ISSUE

The RFA worked long and hard during the reauthorization process of the nation’s primary fishery law. This is the outcome.

MAGNUSON REPORT CARD

The smoke has cleared and the rollercoaster ride on Capitol Hill is over. On the last day of the 109^th Congress, a bill which reauthorizes the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) was passed. Now, it’s time to look back and review the changes.

AS SEEN IN THE MARCH/APRIL 2007 ISSUE

Do you know?

-Do you know that Florida is known as the Sport Fishing Capital of the World?

-Do you know that Florida has 2,276 miles of tidal shorelines?

-Do you know that in the state of Florida, anglers outnumber golfers by two to one?

AS SEEN IN THE NOV/DEC 2007 ISSUE

Fishing’s Looming Crisis - Can we wait ten years to fix it?

With the ink still wet on the recent authorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation Act (MSA) and elected officials and spin doctors from certain trade and conservation organizations patting themselves on the back for finally getting “something” passed, fishermen are about to find out that the devil really is in the details - details that will have a crippling effect on our access to many of our favorite fish and which have nothing to do with conservation.

AS SEEN IN THE NOV/DEC 2007 ISSUE

CCA FLORIDA BACKS PROGRESSIVE NEW PLAN

Florida Saltwater Hatcheries Initiative to Expand Stocking Capabilities.  Let’s face it; hauling a couple of youngsters across the state in a car is not the easiest of undertakings. Imagine how hard it must be to haul a couple of hundred thousand juvenile fish from coast to coast! This challenging scenario is what the folks in charge of Florida’s fish hatchery operation are now facing. However, this difficult task of helping maintain our game fish populations may be getting just a little bit easier.

AS SEEN IN THE JAN/FEB 2007 ISSUE

When I moved here from Texas, it was strictly for the fishing. Back then I could only imagine how great the fishing in Florida would be if I lived here full-time because it was always so great during the vacations that I had taken in the past. Today, I realize that a lot of this great fishing wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the hard work by CCA Florida.

AS SEEN IN THE JAN/FEB 2007 ISSUE

For the past four years, recreational and commercial fishermen have been hoping that the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act (MSA) would finally get the long-overdue attention it required from Congress. In 1996, Congress enacted sweeping changes to the nation’s primary federal fisheries law, under the banner of the “Sustainable Fisheries Act”. Since then, it has become increasingly clear that certain mandates, coupled with a litigation explosion, has resulted in a sluggish, time-consuming fishery management system. Over time, the federal agency officials responsible for this program realized that it was safer to make decisions based on how best to defend against a lawsuit, rather than on how best to advance fisheries policy.

February Hot Catches

February 4th 2008 

I can not believe another year is here. I have not finished catching up on 2007 tagging/recoveries and already there is tagging in the Bahamas and south Florida with recoveries occurring in both places. Last year saw fish tagged in every month and this year is starting out the same, if not stronger. I am not complaining, I’m bragging. Success is wonderful!

I hold an optimistic view for great achievements in 2008 in the Dolphinfish Research Program. However, this optimism is tempered by the reality of possible $4 to $5 gallon fuel. This will certainly cut down on the number of trips that boats make especially those traveling long distances to the fishing grounds. But I believe there is enough anglers out there who are committed to this study that more than 1,500 dolphin will be tagged this year. 

AS SEEN IN THE SEPT/OCT 2006 ISSUE

There are numerous sailfish tournaments held in Florida each winter, but the Buccaneer Cup Sailfish Release Tournament stands apart from the rest. For 42 years the Buccaneer Yacht Club hosted this prestigious contest from Singer Island in West Palm Beach. It brought together the area’s finest fishermen, live baiters and trollers alike, to compete for bragging rights and a substantial purse. It has always been held in high esteem with boats duking it out in a release points format that inspired other tournaments to emulate its conservation-oriented design. 

AS SEEN IN THE SEPT/OCT 2006 ISSUE

Decisions made today affect the future of fishing.

The future of fishing is something that concerns most fishing conservation organizations. These groups often act together, and at other times, act independently, but if you stop to think about it, we’re all really working toward the same goal. We’re all concerned with the future of fishing. If we don’t do the right things now, we’re all going to be in trouble later.

AS SEEN IN THE JULY/AUG 2006 ISSUE

National Research Council Review Confirms RFA Claims
RFA vindicated by Congressional study of recreational landings data program. Recommendations mirror RFA advice.

For the past ten years, the RFA has expressed serious doubts over the catch and landing statistics being generated by the outdated Marine Recreational Fishing Statistical Survey (MRFSS). Originally implemented in 1979 and never intended for use in stock assessment models or to manage recreational fisheries, the program has received only Band-Aid fixes over the years while managers increasingly used its unreliable data for those very purposes.

AS SEEN IN THE JULY/AUG 2006 ISSUE

Protecting the greatest thing since sliced bread

It seems as if every time I talk to other fishermen, we discuss how great the Florida fishery is doing and the Net Ban is always cited as the reason why. Lately there has been a lot of talk about the Net Ban being un-banned. This would obviously have a serious adverse effect on our fisheries, not to mention undoing all of the hard work that went into the Net Ban’s creation. It’s also obvious that fish can’t fight this battle on their own; we have to. It’s up to us, as conservationists, to look out for the best interest of our fisheries, and of course, protect what we love.