Be A Responsible Angler
There has been a lot of effort expended lately toward defending rights, such as access or harvest. And while fishermen’s rights should be defended, it’s essential that we are as emphatic about responsibilities as we are about rights. Being responsible will give us a lot more leverage when it comes to defending rights.
A key to marine and fish conservation that seems to be missed by many is that a true fishing conservationist is as adamant about responsibility as he/she is about rights. Unfortunately, such a balanced approach has never been common, and is becoming increasingly rare.
Lately we’ve been hearing a lot about fishermen’s rights, and not so much about fishermen’s responsibilities. For example, we are seeing more and more bad behavior – boats running way too close to anglers poling on flats boats, boats running so shallow they dig scars in seagrass beds – while at the same time clamors of ‘I can go where I want’ are increasing. We can be our own worst enemies at times.
These days, anglers can’t afford to get a bad reputation. Too many people are working too hard to ensure our fisheries are around for the future. Tribal Bonefish is about being one of those people working to keep the fisheries for the future.
Responsible anglers are as concerned with habitat protection, proper fishing and boating etiquette, education, and supporting needed science as they are about access rights.
Being responsible means:
- Being willing to think about the long-term health of the fishery, even if that means short-term sacrifices
- Learning proper catch and release techniques to increase survival of released fish
- If you keep fish, don't take more than you need
- Learning about the coastal habitats that support our fisheries, and doing something to protect them
- Boating in a responsible manner
- Following proper fishing etiquette
- Educating other anglers as well as non-anglers
- Support the use of science-based knowledge (not politics) to create better conservation strategies for fisheries
- Focus on supporting research needed for effective management
- Support science-based advocacy, not politically-based advocacy