The Fishing Season is A-Changin’

The Fishing Season is A-Changin’

Breaching humpback whale in front of the Hammond Boat Basin in mid-August of 2016. How ironic is it that this was the site where Free Willy was filmed, jumping over the very jetty seen in the background here? It’s been over a year now since the Marine Fish Conservation Network began broadcasting our blog posts […]

Gulf States Fisheries Managers Fail Speckled Trout

Gulf States Fisheries Managers Fail Speckled Trout

As part of the ongoing red snapper debate, various “anglers’ rights” organizations frequently tout the superiority of state fisheries managers, when compared to their counterparts at the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). One such organization, the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA), has frequently expressed its support for H.R. 3094, legislation that would strip NMFS of all […]

The Future of Our Fisheries is Us

The Future of Our Fisheries is Us

Photo: Melissa Peterson & Bob Rees with a Chinook salmon Soon after I started guiding professionally, I noticed a new level of consciousness come over me, particularly about what was going on around me in the natural world, where I suddenly became a much bigger player in the direct interaction with and impact on the […]

The Gulf States ALREADY Manage Red Snapper

The Gulf States ALREADY Manage Red Snapper

H.R. 3094, the so-called “Gulf States Red Snapper Management Authority Act,” has been one of the most controversial fishery management bills introduced in the current session of Congress. Sponsored by Rep. Garret Graves (R-Louisiana), H.R. 3094 would strip the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) of all authority to manage red snapper in the Gulf of […]

More On Those ‘Go-To Spots’

More On Those ‘Go-To Spots’

ERAs will help to protect important offshore fishing grounds. Photo by John McMurray. The angling community should be firmly behind identifying and designating Ecologically Rich Areas I suppose I should start here by explaining what exactly an “Ecologically Rich Area” (ERA) is. As you may have guessed, it’s simply what scientists have determined is an […]