biggsy
08-27-2004, 04:14 PM
Your comments would be appreciated. I think this is complete BS and I have highlighted something that just does not compute. This study seems to void of data (I guess since this is an article about the study, all data would not be shared).
Study finds recreational fishing takes big toll on declining species
By David Fleshler
Staff Writer
August 27, 2004
Recreational fishing enthusiasts like to think of themselves as conservationists, participants in an ancient and sustainable tradition that leaves the oceans unharmed.
But a study released Thursday says recreational fishing has a much bigger effect on saltwater fish than previously thought. Published in the journal Science, the study found that recreational fishing accounts for nearly one-fourth of the catch of overfished populations such as red snapper, bocaccio and red drum.
It found that recreational fishing took a particularly heavy toll on declining fish species in the southeastern United States. And it said current methods of regulating fishing couldn't keep up with a growing fleet of sophisticated sportfishing boats that deploy sonar, global positioning systems and other devices to find fish.
"The conventional wisdom has been for quite some time that the commercial fishery has the greatest influence in terms of overfishing," said Felicia Coleman, of Florida State University, the lead author of the study. "And I think this study demonstrates clearly that that's not the case."
The study, which claims to be the first comprehensive examination of the effect of recreational fishing on marine species, is certain to be cited by advocates of tougher fishing restrictions, such as no-fishing zones. It is likely to cause considerable debate in Florida, by far the leading sportfishing state, where saltwater fishing alone has an economic impact of $4.5 billion, according to a four-year-old study by the state wildlife commission.
John Jolley, president of the West Palm Beach Fishing Club, who has been fishing for 50 years, said the study sounded credible and should force the sportfishing community to stop denying its role in the decline of marine species.
"A lot of younger people tend to have been biased by the rhetoric you get from the sportfishing publications that it's all commercial fishing's fault," said Jolley, whose club has 1,400 members and a reputation for environmental awareness. "In many cases, we're the cause of the decline in southeast Florida. We need to conserve the resource, that's the most important thing. We're beginning to get new evidence of the impact man is having on the sea, and hopefully it's not too late."
David White, southeast regional director of the Ocean Conservancy, which advocates no-fishing zones, said, "This gives some good hard facts that demonstrate the recreational fishing industry does have significant impact on fisheries. They've been saying all along they don't have an impact, and I think that's been laid to rest with this information."
But Ted Forsgren, executive director of Coastal Conservation Association Florida, a sport-fishing group, said the study understated the role of commercial fishing by ignoring the effect of by-catch, unwanted fish that are caught and discarded, dead or alive. The by-catch from the shrimp industry alone outweighs the recreational landings, he said. And he said species that attract only recreational fishermen, such as tarpon, snook and redfish, are thriving -- casting doubt on the suggestion that recreational fishing is the problem.
"I don't think she really understands what's going on," he said. "We've got tremendously healthy fisheries in Florida."
The peer-reviewed study was conducted by scientists from Florida State University, Ohio University and Duke University. To gather the information, they went through 22 years of fishery data from the federal and state governments.
The researchers found that recreational fishing accounts for about 4 percent of the total saltwater landings in the United States. But when they removed menhaden and pollock, which account for half the commercial take, the recreational portion rose to 10 percent. And when they focused on species known to be experiencing over-fishing, the recreational take rose to 23 percent.
Recreational numbers were higher in the southeastern United States. In the Atlantic Ocean off the southeastern United States, the recreational fleet took 38 percent of over-fished species, such as snapper and grouper. And in the Gulf of Mexico, the recreational fleet took 64 percent, according to the study.
While many people practice catch-and-release fishing, that still kills fish. About 20 percent of fish that are caught and released end up dying, largely from the change in pressure as they're hauled from the deep, Coleman said. And the trauma of being caught weakens many fish. Coleman saw one goliath grouper still alive with 20 hooks in its mouth.
Particularly hard hit were top predators, such as gag grouper, shark and red grouper. The study said current fishing regulations, which focus on size and bag limits, are insufficient to control recreational fishing. Coleman said the state and federal governments should consider limits on the total number of fish caught.
"There are no restrictions at all on the number of recreational fishermen that can enter the fishery, except in a very limited number of fisheries," she said. "So even if every single individual is fishing in a conservation-minded way, when you put more than 10 million individuals together, each doing their little bit, there's a significant cumulative effect."
Robert Jones, executive director of Southeastern Fisheries Association, which represents the commercial fishing industry, said he was glad to see a study blame someone other than commercial fishing boats for the decline of fish. But he doubted whether a single study could influence the state or federal governments to crack down on recreational fishing, because sport-fishing groups have considerable political power.
David Fleshler can be reached at dfleshler@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4535.
Study finds recreational fishing takes big toll on declining species
By David Fleshler
Staff Writer
August 27, 2004
Recreational fishing enthusiasts like to think of themselves as conservationists, participants in an ancient and sustainable tradition that leaves the oceans unharmed.
But a study released Thursday says recreational fishing has a much bigger effect on saltwater fish than previously thought. Published in the journal Science, the study found that recreational fishing accounts for nearly one-fourth of the catch of overfished populations such as red snapper, bocaccio and red drum.
It found that recreational fishing took a particularly heavy toll on declining fish species in the southeastern United States. And it said current methods of regulating fishing couldn't keep up with a growing fleet of sophisticated sportfishing boats that deploy sonar, global positioning systems and other devices to find fish.
"The conventional wisdom has been for quite some time that the commercial fishery has the greatest influence in terms of overfishing," said Felicia Coleman, of Florida State University, the lead author of the study. "And I think this study demonstrates clearly that that's not the case."
The study, which claims to be the first comprehensive examination of the effect of recreational fishing on marine species, is certain to be cited by advocates of tougher fishing restrictions, such as no-fishing zones. It is likely to cause considerable debate in Florida, by far the leading sportfishing state, where saltwater fishing alone has an economic impact of $4.5 billion, according to a four-year-old study by the state wildlife commission.
John Jolley, president of the West Palm Beach Fishing Club, who has been fishing for 50 years, said the study sounded credible and should force the sportfishing community to stop denying its role in the decline of marine species.
"A lot of younger people tend to have been biased by the rhetoric you get from the sportfishing publications that it's all commercial fishing's fault," said Jolley, whose club has 1,400 members and a reputation for environmental awareness. "In many cases, we're the cause of the decline in southeast Florida. We need to conserve the resource, that's the most important thing. We're beginning to get new evidence of the impact man is having on the sea, and hopefully it's not too late."
David White, southeast regional director of the Ocean Conservancy, which advocates no-fishing zones, said, "This gives some good hard facts that demonstrate the recreational fishing industry does have significant impact on fisheries. They've been saying all along they don't have an impact, and I think that's been laid to rest with this information."
But Ted Forsgren, executive director of Coastal Conservation Association Florida, a sport-fishing group, said the study understated the role of commercial fishing by ignoring the effect of by-catch, unwanted fish that are caught and discarded, dead or alive. The by-catch from the shrimp industry alone outweighs the recreational landings, he said. And he said species that attract only recreational fishermen, such as tarpon, snook and redfish, are thriving -- casting doubt on the suggestion that recreational fishing is the problem.
"I don't think she really understands what's going on," he said. "We've got tremendously healthy fisheries in Florida."
The peer-reviewed study was conducted by scientists from Florida State University, Ohio University and Duke University. To gather the information, they went through 22 years of fishery data from the federal and state governments.
The researchers found that recreational fishing accounts for about 4 percent of the total saltwater landings in the United States. But when they removed menhaden and pollock, which account for half the commercial take, the recreational portion rose to 10 percent. And when they focused on species known to be experiencing over-fishing, the recreational take rose to 23 percent.
Recreational numbers were higher in the southeastern United States. In the Atlantic Ocean off the southeastern United States, the recreational fleet took 38 percent of over-fished species, such as snapper and grouper. And in the Gulf of Mexico, the recreational fleet took 64 percent, according to the study.
While many people practice catch-and-release fishing, that still kills fish. About 20 percent of fish that are caught and released end up dying, largely from the change in pressure as they're hauled from the deep, Coleman said. And the trauma of being caught weakens many fish. Coleman saw one goliath grouper still alive with 20 hooks in its mouth.
Particularly hard hit were top predators, such as gag grouper, shark and red grouper. The study said current fishing regulations, which focus on size and bag limits, are insufficient to control recreational fishing. Coleman said the state and federal governments should consider limits on the total number of fish caught.
"There are no restrictions at all on the number of recreational fishermen that can enter the fishery, except in a very limited number of fisheries," she said. "So even if every single individual is fishing in a conservation-minded way, when you put more than 10 million individuals together, each doing their little bit, there's a significant cumulative effect."
Robert Jones, executive director of Southeastern Fisheries Association, which represents the commercial fishing industry, said he was glad to see a study blame someone other than commercial fishing boats for the decline of fish. But he doubted whether a single study could influence the state or federal governments to crack down on recreational fishing, because sport-fishing groups have considerable political power.
David Fleshler can be reached at dfleshler@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4535.