Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Take emergency action to keep Cobia harvest open to recreational anglers. - PETITION !!!

https://www.change.org/p/us-department-of-commerce-take-emergency-action-to-keep-cobia-harvest-open-to-recreational-anglers-0fe1269b-fb54-464b-8a0d-df53f666f19d

Tight Lines !

I have just learned to love Cobia after moving to Florida. What are the environmental and political issues behind this?

Nick

Quote from: ReelFishingProblems on February 05, 2017, 08:25:23 PM
I have just learned to love Cobia after moving to Florida. What are the environmental and political issues behind this?

Nick

Nick,

The "powers that be" are somewhat nebulous about the "truth" but, to be sure, "politics" & $$$$$$$$ are involved . . . Most fisherman believe that it will begin in offshore, Federal waters first ( easier to push laws through ) and then be amended to include inshore, State waters, at a later date !

Tight Lines !

I grew up right here in the Florida Panhandle where Cobia fishing and tournaments are big money. The money and prizes are just a huge as any Billfish Tournament.

There are less and less Cobia seen and caught each year. I remember seeing at least 50 a day in a 4 hour time.

The Cobia that come past here and migrate to Louisiana dont last long. They hold up around the nearshore and offshore rigs and get slaughtered instead of breeding.

It's like the Lion, it goes for easy prey  because otherwise she would over exert to much energy or get injured. With the government it's the angler.


Joe  

Somethin I would not wanna do, is be one a those Gov. regulater guys/gals. I went to a Pacific Fisheries Management Council meeting once and watched those people sittin up there gettin roasted(not the funny way). Drunken commercial fisherman, sport interests, more environmental groups than I knew existed. None of 'em satisfied. The gov. people maintain that they'er tryin to provide balenced decisions with the best avalible bio. data... Who knows? Having worked around/ for them in various state & fed agencies, my personal opinion's that many Natural resource managers just don't like people. Mabey they see the public factions as self-interested persons that'll destroy the resource, given the chance, and they're tired of listening to the all the opposition. Who knows?...
Gfish

Signed and shared!

I watched the cobia crash in Port Royal Sound and it wasn't pretty.  Fishery science is never going to be perfect but you gotta use what you have.  The problem with fishery regulators is they have weak spines, are afraid of criticism, and do not move fast enough.  They should have started limiting cobia back in the early 1970's when some less painful things like bag limits in state waters would have kept the population healthy and prevented more drastic measures later.
-steve

I could be wrong Steve, and too political, but I think gov. action, or inaction, is much to about self preservation, and career advancement. When things go really bad, wise(evil?) managers always have a "fall guy"ready to blame. These are often the type of people that last and end up running things. Actually,  I've experieced this in the gov. contract-private sector.

I mean the "fall guy" dosen't survive or do well(demotion, dissappeared, etc,) but the _covering manager does.
Gfish

Yeah, it's human nature.  Public servants are self serving.  Been there and done that.
-steve

Quote from: Gfish on February 18, 2017, 10:59:25 PM
I could be wrong Steve, and too political, but I think gov. action, or inaction, is much to about self preservation, and career advancement. When things go really bad, wise(evil?) managers always have a "fall guy"ready to blame. These are often the type of people that last and end up running things. Actually,  I've experieced this in the gov. contract-private sector.
Gfish

Gfish,

You are NOT WRONG, sir !

Tight Lines !