Florida Keys recreational anglers are taking more than a fishing license, bait, tackle and refreshments onboard their boats for offshore trips.
They're bringing along a lawyer specializing in fishing regulations and a specialist in taxonomic validation of fish species to help visually identify their catch.
Sound preposterous?
Not if you're a weekend angler whose fishing fun is quickly being overshadowed by the need to decipher the myriad existing and new regulations governing the various species of fish that may be encountered while trying to bring home dinner.
Smart anglers head to the sea armed with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's free, two-page, "Basic Recreational Saltwater Fishing Regulations" that covers regulations governing approximately 100 marine species they may encounter in the waters off the Florida Keys.
And of course it's also wise -- or essentially mandatory to avoid a possible species identification error -- to bring along a book or chart depicting color photos of each species.
There are even apps providing a combination of this information that are available for mobile devices such as smart phones.
These tools can aid anglers when sorting through just the dozen or more species of snapper and grouper regulated by different size restrictions, bag limits, season closures or prohibition.
For the uninitiated or part-time recreational angler, the identification process can be intimidating and frustrating, since it always occurs as a hurry up, real time experience with a fish flip-flopping on the deck.
For instance, cero and Spanish mackerel are commonly caught in the Keys and can look very similar, as they have only minor variations in skin markings. There are rules governing catching a Spanish mackerel, but not a cero mackerel.
And as the new year begins, anglers face a series of new regulations for sharks and sea trout. On the docket for 2012 are also possible changes for spiny lobster, dolphin and amberjack fishing rules.
These additional regulations don't just impact recreational anglers, including local families and tourists; commercial fishermen also face their own series of seemingly endless new rules and modification of old rules.
Some of the new rules now under consideration have left us scratching our heads.
These include requiring lobster trap fishermen to have colored-coded trap lines, or prohibiting charter boat captains from commercially selling legally caught dolphin, a species not considered overfished or endangered, that their clients choose not to take home.
We consistently endorse preserving natural resources, and recognize the wisdom of managing fisheries -- as long as it is based on irrefutable scientific evidence.
However, it is now beginning to appear that there is a trend toward over-regulation of the Keys fisheries -- at the very least, there's certainly a trend toward creating confusing, costly and ever-changing rules.
It is not surprising that some local anglers are beginning to suspect that many bureaucrat regulators never wet a hook in the Keys.
To that end, anglers regularly criticize regulators for not taking into account the unique characteristics of Keys fisheries' economic seasonality. In fact, all South Atlantic waters, including state and federal waters from North Carolina to Key West, are considered one and the same to regulators of a variety of fish species.
More than a great activity for family and friends, fishing is a mainstay of the Keys' economy, especially when it comes to commercial fishermen and tourists -- including fishing tournaments.
We think it's time for state and federal fishery managers to simplify the rules and regulations and make them more understandable and reflective of the unique fisheries of the Florida Keys.
Simply stated, the excited recreational anglers' call of "Fish on!" should not require them to have degrees in law and ichthyology.
-- The Citizen
News.Yahoo.com - Visit DolphinsMotel.com
