Chapter Three
Traveling around as an advocate to share information while selling calendars was an eye-opening experience. There were pleasant surprises as well as disappointing moments during interactions with people who should have been nicer and some, I had no idea what to expect. I am reclusive by nature, so talking with thousands of strangers was way out of my comfort zone. The experience confirmed a long-held belief that respect is universally appreciated and usually reciprocal. Equal respect should be given to everyone from the start without exception. We do not have to agree on every issue to be nice to each other. Kindness opens the door to discussions that often reveal we have much more in common than it might seem at first. Most of us want the same basic things, our differences are usually just a matter of how we want to achieve our shared goals. Sometimes we can even solve two completely different problems with one solution if both sides are willing to think hard enough.
Being an advocate also provided excellent opportunities to see some incredible places across America. Most work was done in coastal Carolina where some of the last unspoiled wilderness exists on our east coast. North Carolina’s Outer Banks is always a special place to visit with its pristine beaches, iconic lighthouses, and friendly people. Meeting with politicians in Washington DC provided a chance to drive up Virginia’s historic eastern shore. There were idyllic little towns with old homes and classic workboats dotting the shoreline. Traveling to Tampa for a Marine Resource Education Program let me catch a glimpse of old Florida’s natural wonders. Spanish Moss hanging from ancient Cypress trees with lush vegetation lining blue lagoons looked like a land that time forgot. Money being tight was a good excuse to sleep in the truck at State Parks where I could explore and shower. Watching several deer slowly roaming around the sand dunes at sunset by an old fort in Fernandina Beach was mesmerizing. A spotted fawn posing in the palms at Hunting Beach offered a wonderful photo op. Rangers gave a guided tour of that park’s lighthouse to watch a full moon rising.
The chance to speak at an event in California was too good to pass up. We drove from Morro Bay up the scenic Pacific Coast Highway to Cresent City, stopping to see some of Earth’s most majestic places. Photographing Roosevelt Elk grazing on green ferns under towering Redwoods was certainly a highlight never to be forgotten. Our cross-country drive back home was a series of adventures. Snow fell in June as we crossed the Sierra Nevada summit. Miles of salt flats looked like shimmering liquid mirages shifting on the horizon. Pronghorn Antelope graced the gentle slopes of Wyoming. They cautiously watched as I took pictures much closer than expected, letting me know when it was time to back off. Cornfields aplenty dotted the Midwest landscape. Every variation of green blanketed the Appalachian Mountains. Writing about our epic journey from sea to shining sea reminds me of patriotic songs like My Country Tis of Thee. How blessed are we to live in this sweet land of liberty?
Many of the people I met along the way contributed something positive, even if only encouragement. Talking with fishermen in California was the first time I heard about Descending Devices that could release bloated fish suffering from barotrauma back to a depth where expanded gases recompressed. This was supposed to give fish that would otherwise die a 90% chance of survival. We kind of joked about how unlikely it was to work on fish with eyes bulging and bloated stomachs protruding from their mouths. I continued to learn more about this method of release and eventually took researchers out to test it on Red Snapper. Videos showed bulging eyes going back to normal and stomachs deflating as fish descended. We even recaptured a Red Snapper months after we released it with a tag, using one of those devices. It really worked. I gave a presentation to the Snapper/Grouper Advisory Panel asking them to promote the use of Descending Devices in our fishery to reduce discard mortality for fish we couldn’t keep. Our goal should be to make regulatory discards rare while using proven tools that give released fish the best chance of survival.
An old sailor working in a canvas shop told me about the Iroquois Indian philosophy of considering any impacts of important decisions on seven generations. The Iroquois said doing this required skin as thick as pine bark. Shortsighted naysayers often mock and ridicule those thinking beyond their own self-interest. Shouldn’t we think about future generations and how we can secure our blessings of liberty for them?
Talking with pioneers in the offshore bottom fishing industry was always interesting. Stories of giant fish and plenty of them encouraged me to look for ways we can restore our fisheries to how they were in the good old days without hurting today’s fishermen or seafood consumers in the process. One legendary captain told me about his idea to make simple artificial reefs from pieces of old railroad tracks welded together in the shape of a pointy ball. These reef stars would stick in the barren sand as exposed points provided cover for baitfish and places where corals, sponges, and other marine life could attach. This would create the base of a food chain that supports bigger fish. Artificial reef habitat will over time increase the total biomass enhanced areas can support, helping the seafood we eat as well as turtles, dolphins, and many more species. Our fisheries would be in much better shape if fishery managers followed the advice of that visionary mariner forty years ago.
There was an eccentric gentleman who gave public comments at some fishery meetings to share different ideas that usually made sense. He talked about how pharmaceuticals including birth control medication and other chemicals in wastewater negatively impact the spawning success of many species. One of his solutions was to use wastewater we dump in our waterways for the irrigation of bamboo since its rhizome roots can break down almost any contaminants. Bamboo has thousands of uses that could create jobs and generate revenue. Bamboo pellets would be a wonderful alternative to cutting down countless trees to make wood pellets for power plants in Europe. It is hard to believe clearcutting our forests for wood pellets to be shipped overseas is considered by those in control of climate change policies to be carbon neutral and eco-friendly. He also talked about using hatcheries to help a wide variety of seafood overcome habitat-related spawning obstacles.
Another fisherman who advocated for hatcheries explained how simple and effective they can be. He invited me to help in a tournament to collect flounder for research at a university hatchery. Talking with doctoral students running the hatchery convinced me stocking was a viable solution that could benefit everyone and the environment. Some fishermen in the area talked about how high school students successfully bred flounder and released the offspring. Those stocked flounder had a unique pattern from being raised for a little while in tanks that made them easily identifiable when caught. If a few school kids could make a noticeable difference in the flounder population with minimal expense and effort, how much more could fishery managers do if they used their talent and resources for good?
Flounder and many other species could be collected from local waters for breeding. Fertilized eggs can be incubated in regional hatcheries with hatchlings released to live wild and free. Releasing more hatchlings rather than fewer fingerlings minimizes cost while ensuring those that survive nature’s challenges are strong and healthy. We can help native seafood thrive at historically high levels even as we harvest more to sustainably feed a growing population while also creating more recreational opportunities. This is a management strategy that has been used for decades in other places. Wild-caught salmon often come from hatcheries. There is no reason we can’t use this knowledge to help more fisheries. Stocking seafood lower on the food chain such as crabs and herring would benefit everything that eats them, including us. This is a wonderful alternative to closing traditional fisheries and letting global corporations cage large concentrations of genetically sterilized or otherwise modified species in our public waters. Those corporate cages are another way of privatizing public resources.
Learning from so many different people helped form a well-rounded fishery management philosophy that benefits all user groups and our marine resources. It boils down to limiting waste by responsibly managing quotas while using proven management tools that focus more on enhancing our fisheries and food supply than restricting our freedom to access them. Wise use of hatcheries and habitat enhancements can be the perfect blend of public water aquaculture and wild-caught seafood that lives free and self-sufficient until harvested by independent fishermen. This solution offers a clear choice between continuing the course of stricter regulations creating more discards requiring more enforcement or taking steps to improve habitat while regional hatcheries stock a wide variety of native seafood that sustainably supports more harvest. It comes down to whether we want more laws or liberty.
There is a sad joke among fishermen that you need a lawyer to go fishing with you to follow all the complicated laws that are constantly changing on which fish we can eat or not. Decades of mismanagement have created an adversarial relationship between user groups and fishery managers when we should all be working together toward a common goal of healthy fisheries that are responsibly harvested with minimal waste. A shift in fishery management priorities along with our license fees could easily fund stocking and enhancement efforts. The alternative to stocking seafood for everyone to enjoy is more closures opening the door for industrial fish-farming operations with overcrowded cages full of invasive mutants clogging our public waterways as they spread disease, parasites, and pollution to surrounding ecosystems. Farming fish is best done with docile species in closed systems on private property.
We have seen minor food supply disruptions over the past few years. Major disruptions will likely happen at some point. Helping seafood stocks flourish using enhancement techniques promotes food security by creating a reliable source of protein that can be accessed by anyone hungry enough to go fishing. Those who can’t catch their own seafood can access it through commercial fishermen. That elderly neighbor I fished with told stories of growing up during the Great Depression and sharing fish with hungry people in his community. Wouldn’t it be wise for us to plan ahead so we always have easy access to abundant publicly owned seafood stocks in times of need or plenty?
Being an advocate also provided excellent opportunities to see some incredible places across America. Most work was done in coastal Carolina where some of the last unspoiled wilderness exists on our east coast. North Carolina’s Outer Banks is always a special place to visit with its pristine beaches, iconic lighthouses, and friendly people. Meeting with politicians in Washington DC provided a chance to drive up Virginia’s historic eastern shore. There were idyllic little towns with old homes and classic workboats dotting the shoreline. Traveling to Tampa for a Marine Resource Education Program let me catch a glimpse of old Florida’s natural wonders. Spanish Moss hanging from ancient Cypress trees with lush vegetation lining blue lagoons looked like a land that time forgot. Money being tight was a good excuse to sleep in the truck at State Parks where I could explore and shower. Watching several deer slowly roaming around the sand dunes at sunset by an old fort in Fernandina Beach was mesmerizing. A spotted fawn posing in the palms at Hunting Beach offered a wonderful photo op. Rangers gave a guided tour of that park’s lighthouse to watch a full moon rising.
The chance to speak at an event in California was too good to pass up. We drove from Morro Bay up the scenic Pacific Coast Highway to Cresent City, stopping to see some of Earth’s most majestic places. Photographing Roosevelt Elk grazing on green ferns under towering Redwoods was certainly a highlight never to be forgotten. Our cross-country drive back home was a series of adventures. Snow fell in June as we crossed the Sierra Nevada summit. Miles of salt flats looked like shimmering liquid mirages shifting on the horizon. Pronghorn Antelope graced the gentle slopes of Wyoming. They cautiously watched as I took pictures much closer than expected, letting me know when it was time to back off. Cornfields aplenty dotted the Midwest landscape. Every variation of green blanketed the Appalachian Mountains. Writing about our epic journey from sea to shining sea reminds me of patriotic songs like My Country Tis of Thee. How blessed are we to live in this sweet land of liberty?
Many of the people I met along the way contributed something positive, even if only encouragement. Talking with fishermen in California was the first time I heard about Descending Devices that could release bloated fish suffering from barotrauma back to a depth where expanded gases recompressed. This was supposed to give fish that would otherwise die a 90% chance of survival. We kind of joked about how unlikely it was to work on fish with eyes bulging and bloated stomachs protruding from their mouths. I continued to learn more about this method of release and eventually took researchers out to test it on Red Snapper. Videos showed bulging eyes going back to normal and stomachs deflating as fish descended. We even recaptured a Red Snapper months after we released it with a tag, using one of those devices. It really worked. I gave a presentation to the Snapper/Grouper Advisory Panel asking them to promote the use of Descending Devices in our fishery to reduce discard mortality for fish we couldn’t keep. Our goal should be to make regulatory discards rare while using proven tools that give released fish the best chance of survival.
An old sailor working in a canvas shop told me about the Iroquois Indian philosophy of considering any impacts of important decisions on seven generations. The Iroquois said doing this required skin as thick as pine bark. Shortsighted naysayers often mock and ridicule those thinking beyond their own self-interest. Shouldn’t we think about future generations and how we can secure our blessings of liberty for them?
Talking with pioneers in the offshore bottom fishing industry was always interesting. Stories of giant fish and plenty of them encouraged me to look for ways we can restore our fisheries to how they were in the good old days without hurting today’s fishermen or seafood consumers in the process. One legendary captain told me about his idea to make simple artificial reefs from pieces of old railroad tracks welded together in the shape of a pointy ball. These reef stars would stick in the barren sand as exposed points provided cover for baitfish and places where corals, sponges, and other marine life could attach. This would create the base of a food chain that supports bigger fish. Artificial reef habitat will over time increase the total biomass enhanced areas can support, helping the seafood we eat as well as turtles, dolphins, and many more species. Our fisheries would be in much better shape if fishery managers followed the advice of that visionary mariner forty years ago.
There was an eccentric gentleman who gave public comments at some fishery meetings to share different ideas that usually made sense. He talked about how pharmaceuticals including birth control medication and other chemicals in wastewater negatively impact the spawning success of many species. One of his solutions was to use wastewater we dump in our waterways for the irrigation of bamboo since its rhizome roots can break down almost any contaminants. Bamboo has thousands of uses that could create jobs and generate revenue. Bamboo pellets would be a wonderful alternative to cutting down countless trees to make wood pellets for power plants in Europe. It is hard to believe clearcutting our forests for wood pellets to be shipped overseas is considered by those in control of climate change policies to be carbon neutral and eco-friendly. He also talked about using hatcheries to help a wide variety of seafood overcome habitat-related spawning obstacles.
Another fisherman who advocated for hatcheries explained how simple and effective they can be. He invited me to help in a tournament to collect flounder for research at a university hatchery. Talking with doctoral students running the hatchery convinced me stocking was a viable solution that could benefit everyone and the environment. Some fishermen in the area talked about how high school students successfully bred flounder and released the offspring. Those stocked flounder had a unique pattern from being raised for a little while in tanks that made them easily identifiable when caught. If a few school kids could make a noticeable difference in the flounder population with minimal expense and effort, how much more could fishery managers do if they used their talent and resources for good?
Flounder and many other species could be collected from local waters for breeding. Fertilized eggs can be incubated in regional hatcheries with hatchlings released to live wild and free. Releasing more hatchlings rather than fewer fingerlings minimizes cost while ensuring those that survive nature’s challenges are strong and healthy. We can help native seafood thrive at historically high levels even as we harvest more to sustainably feed a growing population while also creating more recreational opportunities. This is a management strategy that has been used for decades in other places. Wild-caught salmon often come from hatcheries. There is no reason we can’t use this knowledge to help more fisheries. Stocking seafood lower on the food chain such as crabs and herring would benefit everything that eats them, including us. This is a wonderful alternative to closing traditional fisheries and letting global corporations cage large concentrations of genetically sterilized or otherwise modified species in our public waters. Those corporate cages are another way of privatizing public resources.
Learning from so many different people helped form a well-rounded fishery management philosophy that benefits all user groups and our marine resources. It boils down to limiting waste by responsibly managing quotas while using proven management tools that focus more on enhancing our fisheries and food supply than restricting our freedom to access them. Wise use of hatcheries and habitat enhancements can be the perfect blend of public water aquaculture and wild-caught seafood that lives free and self-sufficient until harvested by independent fishermen. This solution offers a clear choice between continuing the course of stricter regulations creating more discards requiring more enforcement or taking steps to improve habitat while regional hatcheries stock a wide variety of native seafood that sustainably supports more harvest. It comes down to whether we want more laws or liberty.
There is a sad joke among fishermen that you need a lawyer to go fishing with you to follow all the complicated laws that are constantly changing on which fish we can eat or not. Decades of mismanagement have created an adversarial relationship between user groups and fishery managers when we should all be working together toward a common goal of healthy fisheries that are responsibly harvested with minimal waste. A shift in fishery management priorities along with our license fees could easily fund stocking and enhancement efforts. The alternative to stocking seafood for everyone to enjoy is more closures opening the door for industrial fish-farming operations with overcrowded cages full of invasive mutants clogging our public waterways as they spread disease, parasites, and pollution to surrounding ecosystems. Farming fish is best done with docile species in closed systems on private property.
We have seen minor food supply disruptions over the past few years. Major disruptions will likely happen at some point. Helping seafood stocks flourish using enhancement techniques promotes food security by creating a reliable source of protein that can be accessed by anyone hungry enough to go fishing. Those who can’t catch their own seafood can access it through commercial fishermen. That elderly neighbor I fished with told stories of growing up during the Great Depression and sharing fish with hungry people in his community. Wouldn’t it be wise for us to plan ahead so we always have easy access to abundant publicly owned seafood stocks in times of need or plenty?