Controversial Overfishing Proposals Raise the Ire of Anglers
By Susan Cocking, The Miami Herald
May 11–The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council got an earful — mostly negative and colorful — Wednesday in Key Largo at a public hearing on proposals to end overfishing for gag grouper and vermilion snapper in federal waters throughout the region.
The most controversial proposal calls for no fishing at all for 11 species of shallow-water groupers from January through April. Council deputy director Gregg Waugh said the measure is aimed mainly at protecting overfished gag groupers during their spawning season, but applies to black, red, scamp, red hind, rock hind, yellowmouth and yellowfin grouper, tiger, graysby and coney.
“We’re doing it to reduce the likelihood of bycatch of gag grouper and we have other stocks that are overfished or undergoing overfishing,” Waugh told a group of upset fishermen at the Key Largo Hilton.
Charter and party boat captains also were unhappy at the council’s preferred plan for boosting overfished vermilion snapper stocks: Reducing the recreational bag limit and closing the recreational fishery from October through May 15.
A proposal to require the use of circle hooks and venting and de-hooking tools for all snapper-grouper species drew mixed reactions.
Captain George Clark Sr., who owns the 43-foot sportfisher Gotta Mon and flats boat Stampede in Key Largo with his son, George Jr., was incensed at the four-month grouper closure. He had harsh words for National Marine Fisheries Service, which makes fisheries rules based on council recommendations.
“The National Marine Fisheries Service is a bigoted, elitist organization,” he declared. “Everything that’s happening in this room right now, it’s already been decided. This means absolutely nothing.”
Clark Sr. said his charter clients, faced with a limited fishing season, “will go anywhere but the Keys — my customers will go to Cancun [Mexico].”
Captain Ron Brack, who runs the 41-foot sportfisher Hattitude at Islamorada’s Holiday Isle Marina, said the grouper closure will limit his options on charters.
“If I can’t catch a sailfish or dolphin if they’re not running, I can change up and do something else,” he explained. “We have a lot of people interested in catching snapper and grouper. Eighty percent of the people who come on my boat want to take something home. We kind of rely that we have to be able to go catch these species.”
Captain Kenny Hawkins, who owns the Sea Legs III party boat on Hollywood Beach, said federal fisheries managers “are going to try to put us out of business.”
He hopes the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will refuse to go along with the closure in state waters.
Marathon commercial fisherman Richard Stiglitz said fisheries managers are following a pattern of taking more away from people who make their living on the water.
“I don’t understand,” Stiglitz said. “Year after year, this council comes up with numbers to keep taking stuff away from us.”
Stiglitz and other commercial fishermen said they should not be required to use circle hooks to catch yellowtail and gray snapper — caught mainly on the surface — because they’re unnecessary and require over-handling of the fish.
The council declined to take comment last week on a proposal to eliminate all bag-limit sales of snapper and grouper by charter and headboats. But fishermen have until June 9 to submit written comments at www.safmc.net. The deadline for responding to the proposed grouper-vermilion closures is May 16.
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