Fishing, and covering the various issues associated with it, used to be a whole lot simpler before making the turn into the 21st Century. Sure, there were issues covered by The Fisherman Magazine over the years both before my tenure began and since taking the helm here in New England, especially where striped bass were concerned. There was the push for gamefish status in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, the moratorium of the ‘80s, expanding size limits and more restrictive bag limits through the ‘90s and once again in recent years. There was the herculean effort to protect our fisheries from commercial exploitation by foreign countries which led to the 200-mile limit, and the battle to preserve the recreational bluefish quota and keep them from being decimated by expansion into foreign markets. Some of these issues were fully supported by everyone in the recreational fishing community with a common-good goal sought.
Lately, however, it seems that we are confronted with a fractured fishing community and reporting on fishery-related issues is more reflective of the current political climate—no respect for the opinion of anyone who disagrees, and two extremes when it comes to debating a fishery related issue. Much like the left and the right—there is no more middle ground and little room for compromise.
And let’s not overlook the influence of social media. Everyone has an opinion these days, and a forum to express that opinion, another offshoot of our political climate. Further, there are too many people out there expressing their opinions on issues they know very little about and they allow for little to no coaching or advice on the subject.
We believe that The Fisherman Magazine has an obligation as a key publication in the sport fishing industry to help educate the public on many of these issues in a fair and balanced fashion so that readers can assess the information and make educated decisions when it comes to forming an opinion or course of action. In an effort to maintain the highest level of editorial integrity, we are careful not to gate keep or regulate which topics make it into the magazine. Our goal is to provide a forum in print for healthy debates on fisheries management and marine conservation so that your voices can be heard. To this end, we always welcome input and provide space for both sides of the proverbial table.
There certainly are issues that beg for unified support from the recreational fishing community. For instance, how about the transfer of recreational bluefish quota to the commercial side because we are not using our full quota, the result of a lack of blues in our waters, and that most of the bluefish catch is released. As the market price for bluefish continues to climb, so will the commercial demand for a larger chunk of the pie, especially since the recreational sector is not fulfilling its quota.
Where sea bass are concerned, everyone seems to agree that there are far more fish than managers claim to be swimming in our seas, and due to this bag limits and seasons do not reflect what anglers are actually seeing in the real world.
I could go on and on, but that’s enough for today. Ultimately, if there is an issue you feel strongly about and would like to express your opinion in print, send it in an email to tlapinski@thefisherman.com, and so long as it’s not too much of a burden to edit, we’ll give you the forum to speak your mind.
