I remember one particular group of firemen that fished together. This is by no means a shot at firemen, rather a shot at this particular group of men. They would fish the flats out of Flamingo in Everglades National Park on the tip of Florida catching redfish. This was when there were no limits, and the art of stalking the flats for reds was in its infancy.
Four boats with two men each would return to the ramp and each boat would have at least one and sometimes two 144 quart coolers filled with reds – no ice, just reds. They would dump the entire catch out on the concrete next to the cleaning tables, clean a few fish for themselves, take a few pictures, and then tell whoever was there that anyone who wanted them could have the rest of the fish. “The rest of the fish” often added up to forty or more redfish. And more times than not, they simply lay there and spoiled.
Everglades National Park was the first in my area to put bag limits on not only redfish, but all other species as well. When they did that, an uproar began about the outrage of limiting the number of fish that could be kept. I was a reluctant contributor to that dialog, but down deep inside, I thought about all those redfish being left on the dock.
Not long after that, the State of Florida closed the season on redfish completely for a number of years. When they reopened it, the limit was, and still is, one fish per person between 18 and 27 inches in length.
I remember fishing for reds just before the moratorium began. We were lucky to even see a redfish, let alone catch one. The stock had been seriously depleted.
That was a number of years ago, and several things have happened since then. First, and thankfully, and most importantly, Floridians voted in the net ban, which prohibits most netting of fish, and regulates what netting that is permitted. Second, the border states around the Gulf of Mexico and up the Eastern Seaboard followed suit and instituted their own limits and restrictions on redfish.
After about ten years, the results have been astounding. There are more redfish today along the coast than there have been in over twenty years, and the stock is growing every year. Everyone is catching reds, and everyone can take some fish home for supper. No longer do you see wanton waste merely for bragging pictures.
Kingfish tournaments have gone from total weight over three days, to largest fish for the three days. In most cases, you can only bring one fish to the dock. Dolphin (mahi mahi) tournaments are migrating the same way, allowing only one fish to be brought to the scales.
Today’s angler is smarter and more conscious of the environment. We see fish stocks increasing as our regulators institute protective measures. We are finally managing the resource, rather than wasting for the sake of wasting. I fully expect fishing to improve and be as good in the future as it was fifty years ago.
Given all of this, are the current bag limits too restrictive, or do they need to be tightened? The answer will lie in your hands. You, as a responsible angler can help manage the resource in two ways. First, be a conservation-minded fisherman. Take what you plan to eat and turn back the rest unharmed. Second, be responsive to the Natural Resources regulatory body in your state. If they are elected, make sure you support the most qualified candidate. If they are appointed, make your issues known both to them and the legislators that appoint them. You can make a difference. You can be a part of insuring great fishing opportunities for your children and grandchildren and grandchildren.
