Are we really entitled to the lot?
At what point do we take a long, hard look at ourselves and say, enough is enough? This happened to me years ago, when I realized that my unrelenting passion for fishing was contributing to the decline in numbers at my local ‘rod’ spots. I spent hours at my favorite haunts only to come away with less and less fish. Yikes.
This was a drastic turn around compared to the sizeable loads I had caught in prior years.
I remember feeling so frustrated that I couldn't take home a ‘worthy’ catch to stock up my freezer. Yet, I still didn't realize I was part of the problem. I caught no more than I was allowed. I didn’t break the rules. Yet, my freezer regularly looked like the perfect angling trophy. I was winning.
Little did I know that my hobby was hurting perfectly healthy habitats. Scalping the fish stocks and preventing the remaining ones from thriving in their ecosystem. This sounds extreme but hear me out.
It's a little bit like this:
If you went to an all you can eat buffet and stuffed your face with everything in sight, in the first 10 minutes of being there, chances are you would feel ill and miss out on an enjoyable dining experience. Because y’know, it’s a marathon not a sprint.
Or, this:
You earn 5% on your bank balance every year and you live comfortably on that. That would mean you wouldn't need to touch your cash ‘stockpile’. Your ‘reserve’ would always look healthy. But, the minute you stop preserving and start taking more than your 5%, you leave yourself open to future scarcity.
And that’s what happened all those years ago. We/I didn't preserve our treasure.
The sad part is, power outages and freezer burn would see to bundles of fish ending up in the trash. I felt compelled to write this, not only because I wanted to share my experience but because I'm sure y'all can relate, too.
Even more recently, I watched a documentary called ‘Seaspiracy’ and although it's filmed to shine a light on the unsustainable practices of the fishing industry worldwide, the fact is, it reminded me of the days I would take more, purely because I was ‘allowed’.
Our entitlements can often be unmerited and unrealistic.
This is the case and even more prevalent now. I’m not going to lie, it hurts to see unprecedented harm being caused to our waters. I bet there are lots of you out there who feel the same way, too. huh? I guess this wonderful sport carries a huge amount of responsibility and care. I, for one, wish I’d realized this a lot sooner.
Now, if I had a high horse, the last 20 minutes writing this would have been spent on it. I like horses, so I’m not sorry.
And honestly, I am much more at ease with myself coming away from a fishing trip with 1 or 2 fresh meals, rather than a bucket load of glutenous guilt. I keep what I can eat in one meal, perhaps two, and life's good!
Fishing for me has come to mean so much more than my belly and the ludicrous amount of meals I can take home. I treasure the memories, the experience and the opportunity to be on the water. I love the challenge of finding, catching, and releasing. Respecting the sport means leaving more than enough fish for everyone to enjoy happy times, and of course keep our waters abundant with life. And that’s worth shouting about!
Being a responsible angler makes the fun times that much sweeter.
If you have a plentiful fishing spot, treasure it. And send me over the deets… please.
Now Go Fish.
Note: Consider joining associations whose focus is on protecting your coastal resources. In Texas, the Coastal Conservation Association does many things to help keep our coastal waters thriving. For more information, here is a link to their site: https://ccatexas.org/
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