Articles Index

New South Atlantic Fishing Regulations
The South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (SAFMC)recently and quietly published Amendment 16 in the Federal Register. With little fanfare (for obvious reasons) they placed new rules on bottom fishing fro grouper and other species that will go into effect on July 29, 2009, from North Carolina through the Florida Keys.

A Different Perspective
In these days of overcrowded and hard fished streams, no angler can afford to overlook any sporting procedure that will help fill the creel.

Gray's Reef Marine Sanctuary
Like the national parks, marine areas identified for their biodiversity, ecological integrity, and cultural legacy receive protection through the National Marine Sanctuaries Program. The program, administered by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), was created in Title III of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972.

Fishing Around a Red Tide
A pretty severe red tide occurred along the North Florida coast recently. Along with thousands of dead fish, it closed beaches and put a dent in the tourist industry. It also changed some fishing plans, changes that actually turned out for the good.

Money Available for Fish Habitat Restoration
Through FishAmerica’s partnership with the NOAA Habitat Restoration Project, up to $600,000 is available to restore marine and anadromous fisheries habitat. This partnership emphasizes hands-on, grassroots approaches for on-the-ground restoration of marine, estuarine and riparian habitats, including salt marshes, seagrass beds, mangrove forests, and freshwater habitats important to anadromous fish species such as salmon and striped bass that spawn in freshwater and migrate to the sea.

Can We Stop No Fish Zones?
No Fish Zones (NFZ) are cropping up or being considered by virtually every coastal state in America. Vast areas of open ocean, bays, estuaries, and coastal rivers are all being considered for closure not only to fishing, but in some cases for closure to all human presence. All of this is presumably to protect marine life and revitalize fish populations. In one very controversial case in Florida it is to protect the manatee.

New Study Suggests New Harvest Rules
Here is a study that has some interesting implications. According to Science Magazine the size of the fish harvested has an effect on the size of future harvests.

Florida's Manatee Dilemma - Manatee Protection
Groups such as the Save the Manatee club, along with eighteen other environmental and conservation groups sued the Federal government, Humane Society, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to have them set up much more restrictive speed zones in their effort to "save the manatee from extinction."

Fish Bag Limits - Are They Too Restrictive?
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.

$800,000 in NOAA Grant Funding
Through FishAmerica’s partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Community-based Restoration Program, up to $800,000 is available to restore marine and anadromous fisheries habitat across the coastal United States and the Great Lakes basin.

El Nino or La Nina - Something's Up
This past winter has been a strange one. There is statistical data that shows that the weather is warmer than usual. For two years in a row, Florida's winters have been comparatively mild. Up the East Coast of the United States, the fish are telling the story. Warm water fish were caught, and continue to be caught in areas they normally don't inhabit during the colder months. The reason is, the water temperature has not dropped as much as it usually does.

Global Warming Observations
Global Warming Observations. I’m looking at two sides of the whole warming issue as I write this. One side – called the tree hugging environmentalists – almost says the world is coming to an end if we don’t stop doing a lot of what we are doing. The other side – usually ultra conservatives – calls all the global warming hype just that – hype.

Good Tree Huggers
Stacey, who works for a wildlife conservation organization, makes a good point. Not all tree huggers are PETA fans. I seem to have lumped all tree huggers as being a part of the "liberal left".

Fishing and Boating Classes Thrive
The Future Fisherman Foundation recently announced the recipients of the National Fishing and Boating Education Grants for the 2005-2006 school year. The recipients will use the grant funds to teach fishing and boating in their schools as part of their physical education classes and continue to help foster healthy and active leisure lifestyles.

Laughing at PETA
To a county commissioner in Montana, Karin Robertson, manger of People for Ethical Treatment of Animals' (PETA’s) Fish Empathy anti-fishing effort, recently wrote, "It is especially important to ensure that children do not become desensitized to the suffering and cruelty in fishing."

The "Hook and Bullet" Crowd
Jeff began his talk by stating that, like all of us writers in the audience, he was a member of the "hook and bullet" crowd. The moniker speaks for itself. All of us in that room fish and or hunt and write about our experiences. We are forever linked with those tools of our world he so simply described. Most of you reading this are also members of the hook and bullet crowd. You fish or hunt, and you enjoy the sport. But Jeff's next statement is what really made me think.

Red Tide Kills Manatees
Manatee deaths in Florida, after declining for the past three years, are rising again. This time boaters are not to blame. A recurring red tide over the southwest portion of the Florida coast appears to be the culprit.

Fishing Through the Gas Crisis
The latest rise in gas prices will drive a lot of anglers to make some decisions on how and where they fish.

Animal Rights Activity on the Increase
It’s a new year. Business organizations have designed, approved and allocated funding for annual budgets as they have for decades. Our animal right’s friends and neighbors are no different.

A New Year with Some New Options
Restricted fishing areas called MPAs are already here in a lot of locations and are looming on the horizon in a lot of others. Is it the right thing to do?

PETA to Protest Fishing – Again
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)has a new program underway to protest fishing. Their “Turn in Your Tackle” campaign is designed to reach folks who may be relatives or friends of anglers. PETA plans to use the tackle they gather in future anti-fishing campaigns and displays.

New Fishing Study
Just out from the journal Science is a new fishing study conducted by researchers headed by Felicia Coleman from Florida State University. Basically the study indicates that recreational anglers have a much bigger impact on the resource than previous studies indicate. It goes on to say that the impact is highest in the southeastern United States.

Sea Turtle Watch
We watched as the turtle continued to surface and sound in the distance. Every three or four minutes he would come up for air, sit on the surface for a minute or so, and go back down. This was not a green sea turtle, rather a leatherback turtle, named for its beautiful brown back that looked like a weathered leather patchwork covering. Sea turtles are frequently seen in the bay these days.

Illegal Netters Ruin Fishing
It appears to me that these two boats were, under cover of darkness using illegal gill nets along the jetties and taking sheepshead in large numbers. Needless to say, we caught very few fish that morning.