This OP-ED from Baltimore Sun and CCA Maryland.:
Paul M
Protect rock as gamefish
By Robert Glenn
November 2, 2007
When President Bush signed an executive order in St. Michaels recently
making it federal policy to conserve striped bass for the recreational,
economic and environmental benefit of present and future generations,
his action recognized the importance of recreational fishing to
conservation and called for a change in how policymakers value our
fisheries. Maryland's elected officials and professionals at the
Department of Natural Resources would be wise to consider the
benefits of prohibiting the sale of striped bass by designating the state
fish a gamefish.
Instead, Maryland officials responded to the executive order by
claiming to have effective management for striped bass. This knee-jerk
reaction to protect the commercial fishing industry at all costs has a
sad legacy in the mismanagement of striped bass, yellow perch, shad,
sturgeon, crabs and oysters. It's time to accept that managing
recreationally important finfish as a commodity no longer serves the
public interest and comes at great social, environmental and economic
expense.
Ten years ago, anglers of average skill commonly caught fish 25 inches
or longer. Now they struggle to find the legal limit of two fish over 18
inches. This has arguably contributed to the precipitous decline in the
sale of Chesapeake Bay fishing licenses and the reported troubles
facing Maryland's charter boat industry. Between 2001 and 2006, the
sale of Bay Sport fishing licenses declined by 39 percent - a loss of
more than 86,000 anglers.
Consider the economic costs. According to a recent study by Southwick
Associates, specialists in fish and wildlife economics, striped bass
angling in Maryland is worth more than $640 million annually to the
state's economy and supports more than 7,000 jobs. The decline in
saltwater angling over the past six years has had immense costs to
Maryland in jobs; income taxes; boat, tackle, bait and fuel sales; and
sales taxes. Supporting businesses, such as hotels and restaurants,
also have been affected.
The DNR's Fisheries Service has paid dearly too. The decline in license
sales costs DNR almost $700,000 annually compared with 2001.
Suffering from budget cuts that have left it underfunded and
understaffed, and with no help in sight from a cash-strapped state,
one would think DNR might reconsider its claim that its management
of the most popular sport fish in Maryland is effective.
Other reactions to the president's initiative - that restoring water
quality and habitat are more important, or that gamefish status for
striped bass only changes who gets to catch them - demonstrate a lack
of appreciation for America's sportsmen and women and their history
as stewards of the environment. As overfishing depletes our oceans
and bays, fewer recreational anglers experience our natural resources
firsthand. The loss of saltwater anglers in Maryland means fewer
citizens have a reason to care about dissolved oxygen, diseased fish,
bay grasses, menhaden depletion, the failure of oyster restoration and
other environmental factors that damage striped bass populations.
Long after the sale of wild game, waterfowl and freshwater fish such as
trout and largemouth bass was outlawed, sportsmen have remained at
the forefront of environmental protection. They have done so by
supporting restrictions on their own catch, practicing and promoting
catch-and-release fishing, and supporting wetlands, forest and
waterway protection and restoration.
The nation's demand for striped bass no longer can be satisfied by the
natural environment. More than 60 percent of consumers get their
striped bass from aquaculture. In light of the availability of an
alternative source of striped bass for the marketplace that is more
reliable and consistent, the continued commercial catch of striped bass
comes with unacceptable social, environmental and economic costs.
Commercial exploitation of waterfowl, wild game and freshwater fish
was banned decades ago in recognition that the industrialized catch of
wildlife has never proved sustainable. Six Atlantic Coast states and the
District of Columbia have recognized that the same holds true for the
continued commercial catch of striped bass by declaring the most
valuable sport fish in America a gamefish.
Our organization applauds the president for his attention to history
and vision, and hopes Maryland officials will display the same courage
when it comes to protecting rockfish.
Robert Glenn is executive director of Coastal Conservation Association
Maryland, a conservation organization for sport fishermen. His e-mail
is info@ccamd.org.
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