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Anglers Catch More, But Release More

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By FRANK SARGEANT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 23, 2008

According to surveys conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service, American anglers caught some 468 million saltwater fish of all species last year. Of those, 272 million, or 58 percent, were released alive.

NOAA says the catch was down slightly from 2006, but it was second-highest in the last 10 years. Spokeswoman Monica Allen said recreational anglers now catch about 27 percent more fish annually than they did in 1998.

The federal surveys have come up with some shaky results in recent years, mostly because of poor data collection methods, but it's likely that most coastal anglers can agree with the latest information; for many species, the years of tight harvest regulations combined with the strong conservation ethic of most anglers these days has resulted in more and larger fish of many species.

That is nowhere more true than in Florida, where some 20 years of conservation-minded saltwater management has resulted in burgeoning fisheries for snook, redfish, trout, tarpon and many other species, despite the steady increase in human population. Popular species such as snook are likely to be caught many times over their lifespan.

NOAA assistant fisheries administrator Jim Balsiger says anglers took about 86.7 million saltwater trips nationwide in 2007, a 1.2 percent increase over the preceding year. It's likely that number will be down significantly for 2008 because of the spike in gas prices, however, and the result will surely be a reduction in the reported catch of offshore species, at the very least.

The most popular catch in the southeast and the Gulf of Mexico, NOAA says, is the spotted sea trout, which has wide distribution in the area. Balsiger said the southeast has the highest concentration of saltwater anglers in the nation.

NOAA is accepting comments on a rule to create a national saltwater fishing registry, which would assist them in building more accurate catch surveys via telephone interviews with registered anglers. The comment period extends through August 11; visit www.regulations.gov to post your opinions electronically.

SUMMER SNOOK: Captain John Griffith has made a profession of finding summer snook along the beaches for catch-and-release fishing. Though John naturally doesn't want to publicize where he fishes, pretty much anywhere from Anclote Island south to Marco Island has snook from now through the end of August, and likely into September, when the season will again be open.

"We often see several hundred fish in a day, and about half of them will be close to 30 inches long," Griffith says. "It's just amazing how many big fish we have now."

Griffith also said his clients regularly catch fish longer than 36 inches.

"And pretty much every day we see a fish or two that would be 4 feet long or better," Griffith says.

The largest fish rarely bite, but it's a great mark of how effective the slot limit has been that there are now so many snook well above the upper size limit of 33 inches on the west coast.

Griffith's favorite bait for guiding is the live sardine, but many anglers also do well with plastic shrimp, swimbaits, plastic crabs and mullet, and topwater lures.

Griffith says the fish are typically anywhere from right against the beach to just outside the first sandbar, typically 20 to 50 feet off the beach. Anglers wearing polarized glasses can easily see the fish when the surf is calm.

"The big thing to remember is that these are all spawners, so you want to treat them right," Griffith says. "Keep them in the water, get the hook out fast, get your picture and let them go." For details, John Griffith can be reached at (813) 854-5858.

BAY WATCH SOUTH: The commendable work of Tampa Bay Watch has inspired conservationists around Sarasota to create Sarasota Bay Watch, which will attempt the same sort of improvement projects on Sarasota Bay that Peter Clark and his team have managed on Tampa Bay during the past decade. The group has planted vast salt marshes, replanted sea grasses, built oyster bars and generally improved the bay for both fish and fishermen during its existence.

Organizer Rusty Chinnis says the Sarasota group's first event will be a "Great Scallop Search" August 23 out of Ken Thompson Park, next to Mote Marine. Scallop counts are used to gauge the health of coastal waters; more scallops usually means improved water quality. The group needs 30 boats and volunteer divers to make the search; www.sarasotabaywatch.org or (941) 708-3500.

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