A UNITED FRONT!
If golf courses around the world began slowly disappearing, would golfers come together to save the sport? Would these same golfers forego a couple of rounds on the links and pool this extra money to develop an organized defense for their favorite pastime? Or would they simply continue golfing wherever and whenever they could, accept the little longer waits to tee off, and come to live with this new world order? And how about greens keepers, who rely on golf courses not for pleasure but to make a living. Do you think they would sit back and watch as golf courses disappeared around the world? The analogies between golf and the fishing industry are obvious.
“There are exactly 1,253 Atlantic blue marlin left in the wild. If we, as a concerned society, do not do x, y, and z by x date, these fish will be gone forever.”
The number one question I hear in fishing circles all over the world is, “Why does the recreational fishing community not capitalize on its sheer numbers to turn the tide on declining fish populations and opportunities to fish?” It seems simple enough. In the US, Europe, Australia and Japan alone there are over 100 million anglers. This is more than double the number of golfers in the world. Obviously this represents a wide range of angling interests and individual financial capacity. Certainly some self-proclaimed recreational anglers in remote regions may be scarcely able to put food on their tables, let alone contribute to preserving their “sport.” However, some of these anglers are very successful businessmen and women who spend tens of thousands of dollars each year pursuing their favorite game fish. If each of these anglers contributed one dollar (average) to secure the future of our sport, our industry would have $100,000,000 annually to improve and protect our fishing opportunities. Maybe a self-imposed $1 global conservation stamp? Again, it seems simple enough, so why doesn’t it happen?
Let’s take a moment to examine some of the reasons that complicate this relatively simple theory. First, fisheries issues are complex. For many of our favorite fish, particularly the highly migratory species, we have incomplete data on their biology, behavior and current stock status. As long as there is doubt and confusion as to the extent of the “crisis,” the problem becomes easier to ignore. Additionally, there are usually multiple, mixed and sometimes conflicting messages on what should be done to improve a given situation. What do you think would happen if a panel of respected scientists convened tomorrow and issued the following statement with hard scientific evidence to support it?
“There are exactly 1,253 Atlantic blue marlin left in the wild. If we, as a concerned society, do not do x, y, and z by x date, these fish will be gone forever.”
Personally, I think that everyone who has ever been fortunate enough to catch one of these magnificent creatures would come together, raise the money to accomplish x, y, and z by x date, and the problem would be on its way to resolution. Indeed this has happened with some of the world’s terrestrial apex predators. Why? Primarily because they are quantifiable. It is far easier to count how many lions, tigers and bears there are. There is very little arguing between opposing groups saying, “There are plenty” and “They are almost gone.” And because they can be counted, you can accurately monitor their recovery progress.
Finally and probably the most frustrating reason why a united front has not assembled, is the fact that angling organizations do not have the necessary funds to organize and address the problem. So, in essence, you have a bit of a Catch-22. The scarcity of financial support creates a fractured approach by the various groups, which in turn confuses donors, undermines their financial support and causes them to throw up their hands, go fishing and ignore the problem.
So where does all this leave those of us who want our children and grandchildren to a have an opportunity to experience these incredible fish in the wild?
We all need to realize that we have a responsibility to ensure that recreational fishing has a future. IGFA is widely recognized as angling’s historian, but we are also dedicated to seeing that it has a future as well. We can’t do it without your help.
