Boaters: It's On You To Step Up

 It appears that the City Commission will be moving forward with the Waterfront Park to be located at the City Marina. In addition to water guzzling grassy lawns and landscaping, there will be a "Pavillion" (note: not to be called a Band Shell) and a children's play area. What any of that has to do with a Working Waterfront is beyond me.  The architectural drawings look great with grassy lawns and beautiful trees, but you have to wonder what resources it's going to take to keep the area looking "Disney-like?"

City Commissioners are promising in social media posts and news articles "expanded" boat trailer parking with at least 12 spaces and maybe 15 depending how it all washes out. Even though the lot used to be wide open to boat trailers, and even though the area just across the railroad tracks used to be overflow for boat trailers, Commissioners boast that they've "expanded" boat trailer parking. Crazy huh? Crazy that they can look you in the eye and stretch that truth. 

The general public has bought it hook, line and sinker. Even most boaters, anglers and commercial fishermen THINK that their access to the boat ramp is safe. What they don't know is that Commissioners, Staff, the Tourism folks and Mainstreet folks are drooling at the thought of hosting events at the new park. I remind you that they close the parking lot for the annual Pentanque Tournament. They close the lot AND the ramp during the Shrimp Festival. 

What do you think is going to happen when the Farmers Market is moved to the Park? When Sounds on Centre is moved to the Park? When the Chili Cook-off is moved to the park?  When music events are held at the "pavilion"? Will Commissioners lean towards "public safety"  and close the parking lot or maintain boater access?

I've been aggravated, disgruntled, pissed, and even crest fallen about this issue. But almost at the same level, I've been more disappointed in the angling and boating community for their apathy towards their access to our public waters. When the vote for moving forward to fund the park was decided on there were 4 Captains that showed up at the meeting and spoke:  Capt Terry Lacosse (in his 70's).  Capt Scott Stewart (in his 70's). Myself (67), and Capt Allen Mills (in his mid 60's). These older Captains may still keep on fishing (as a livelihood) for years to come. but eventually some of the younger guys and the general boating public need to get involved and fight for access. Lack of access to the water will have a bigger effect on them, and you would think they may want their kids to have access to the water. 

Just my opinion, but boaters and anglers tend NOT to be activists. They want to get out on the water,
enjoy boating or fishing, and be left alone. But sometimes you gotta step up. YOUR access to the City Marina boat ramp is being threatened. Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp is dangerous with a strong west wind blowing, and damaging to your boat on any given day. Sawpit Creek boat ramp is falling apart with Park management seemingly ambivalent about it. Goffisnville park is a nightmare to use on an outgoing tide. ALL of those ramps have the bare minimum of dock space. You pay taxes. You deserve better. 

I don't know him. Never met him personally. But Commissioner David Sturges is the ONLY Commissioner that voted against the waterfront park. The City elections coming up will pit supposedly "conservative" incumbent candidates versus left leaning eco nuts. Unfortunately most of those incumbent candidates are pushing the waterfront park and squeezing your access to the water. It's going to be a tough pick for boaters. 

Practice Science-Based Management

Capt Dylan Hubbard is President, Florida Guides Association and penned this editorial in the FGA's most recent newsletter... 

Your Florida Guides Association has recently updated our vision statement and purpose to make it extremely clear that we stand for and will continue fighting for science-based management in all aspects of our outdoor recreational management and conservation.

Here’s that purpose statement for 2023 and beyond for reference -

We are an association of professional guides advocating for conservation, best practices, and science-based management, while still maintaining our rights for proper recreational use of Florida's natural resources. 

We have unfortunately seen more and more frequently a move by many in multiple facets of conservation to being more subjective or opinion-based management approaches. We are seeing that with the manatees, pelicans, goliath grouper, and now a huge blow to federal waters for hire fishermen.

We must stand up for science-based approaches and make it clear that we do not want to see our natural resources managed by feelings and opinions rather than cold hard science that can stand up to a third-party peer review.

We are currently amid a potential complete closure of fishing access around certain artificial reef sites that a fishing club actually fundraised and placed off Palm Beach because a few dive charters are claiming that catch-and-release fishing is hurting the goliath grouper spawning aggregation sites! 

There’s no science and no consideration of what the hordes of divers down there all the time are doing to the aggregations. Simply some knee-jerk reactions to propose the closure of 1,000 yards to all fishing practices! That is the current proposal and it’s sickening. This sort of slippery slope and precedent that some feel-good opinion-based suppositions can be enough to completely close fishing access to a resource is extremely scary. This sets a dangerous precedent.

Then look at the current fiasco with pelicans and you get even more of an idea of what we are facing! Certain bird groups are calling for complete closures of a large portion of the largest and most popular fishing pier in the southeast and gear restrictions to the remaining portions based on some strong opinions.

We have luckily been able to make some huge strides in this issue and really have been successful in making some positive change. However, we are still seeing too much opinion and feelings being interjected on this issue.

During the recent FWC meeting, you can even hear someone in leadership essentially insinuate that they are hearing what fishermen are saying but they just love the pelicans more—Are you serious? So because pelicans are somehow more cute and cuddly they are somehow getting more consideration than logical, time-based, and scientific approaches being proffered by the fishing advocacy groups like FGA at these stakeholder meetings.

I won’t even get started on how this state is wasting nearly 30 million dollars annually feeding the manatees because we can’t keep seagrass alive due to water quality issues and instead of looking at manatee populations and the real issue of seagrass loss we are literally shipping in trucks of lettuce and employing hordes of staff to go feed these manatees. 

We see this in other facets of life too, just purely a lack of personal responsibility and more of a ‘what makes you feel better’ or what is ‘popular based on who screams the loudest’. As a group, we have to continue to set the proper example showing extreme personal responsibility and dedication to science-based management.

We take personal responsibility to mean that we are doing what is right for the right reasons. That is our goal stated clearly in our purpose statement, “We are an association of professional guides advocating for conservation, best practices, and science-based management, while still maintaining our rights for proper recreational use of Florida's natural resources.”

Best practices also come down to personal responsibility. Right? Let’s all keep grinding this year and pushing for science-based management and a renewed sense of personal responsibility to do the right thing.

Thank you for being a part of our Florida Guides Association, Get out there and crush it this spring break ya'll. I’m hoping everyone has a killer spring rush! Tight lines.

Capt Dylan Hubbard

President, FGA

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