‘Big Bad Wolf hasn’t started biting on us yet’
May 30, 2010 by Mark Lassagne
Filed under Press Release
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Updated: May 27, 2:30 PM ET
Florida remains wide open for fishing
ESPN Outdoors Article: “Florida Remains Wide Open
By David A. Brown
ESPNOutdoors.com
Not unlike the tornadoes that occasionally drop from Florida’s sub-tropical thunderstorms, the swirling winds of rumor and speculation have prematurely swept the Sunshine State into the tragic tempest that is the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
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| Despite rampant fears of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill affecting Florida, the Sunshine State’s fisheries remain vibrant and accessible. |
It was just over a month ago when the images of a fiery explosion and news of lost rig workers rocked the nation. The shockwaves quickly reached across the Gulf of Mexico to Florida, but shockwaves were the only arrivals — the oil has not reached the Gulf’s easternmost state. Florida residents know this, but many beyond state boundaries do not, as evidenced by a rash of charter fishing cancellations. Noting that misconceptions spawned of misinformation have already levied heavy tolls on Florida’s recreational fishing industry, Florida Guides Association President Capt. Pat Kelly said it best: “I think somebody cried Big Bad Wolf, but the Big Bad Wolf hasn’t started biting on us yet,” Kelly said. “When we have some of the best guides in the state losing trips, something is wrong.” Like most that make their living from Florida’s natural resources, Kelly said he harbors deep concern for any potential harm to local ecosystems. Highlight “potential.” The damage to Louisiana’s coastal marshes is sadly inescapable. Harm to Florida is not a foregone conclusion. In fact, as of this writing, no documented reports of oil in or near Florida waters exist. Beaches remain clean, state waters remain open and anglers are having no trouble bending rods with trout, redfish, Spanish mackerel, cobia, tarpon, snapper, grouper and many others.
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| Capt. Rick Grassett has answered many inquiries from clients wondering about the status of Florida’s fisheries. |
Recently, tar balls found in the Florida Keys sparked a flurry of excessive conclusion-jumping. That was an ill-timed coincidence and tests of the tar balls proved no connection to the BP Deepwater Horizon spill. Moreover, University of South Florida sources confirmed that the team of USF marine scientists and oceanographers that crisscrossed the loop current last week found no visible evidence of oil. Loop current water samples from that trip are being tested for oil content, but that egg hasn’t yet hatched. In truth, there’s no disputing the potential devastation of oil reaching Florida’s coast. To this point, a study by the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust warns that failure to contain the expanding Gulf oil spill could cost South Florida a significant portion of the $1.2 billion of annual economic activity generated by recreational fishing. Prudence requires preparation, but not to the point of premature assumptions. All that made Florida appealing prior to April 20, 2010 remains so today. This is the message of Florida’s recreational fishing industry: Don’t worry about something that has not happened, don’t trust hype over facts and don’t cancel plans to experience the nation’s most diverse saltwater fishing. Unfortunately, persistent fallacies of oil in Florida seem to be fostering concerns over wasting travel time and expenses on trips to unfishable waters. Case in point: Capt. Troy Sapp, one of the top tarpon guides on Florida’s west coast, recently hosted me for a day in Boca Grande Pass — a rare opportunity, considering he’s usually booked solid during May. Like many Florida guides, Sapp had lost a charter booking when his out-of-town clients pulled the plug. “All of these guys own their own businesses and it’s a major event for all of them to get off work at the same time, so when they come down here, they don’t want to spend their time (at theme parks) — they come here to fish,” Sapp said. “When they started hearing those reports that the oil might make it to Florida, they had to rethink their plans.”
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| Pompano are one of many Florida species in ample numbers. |
Sarasota’s Capt. Rick Grassett, who runs out of CB’s Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, has faced similar situations. He’s found himself in something of a PR role lately. “People who’ve booked charter trips are calling and asking if they can still fish,” Grassett said. “I’ve been reassuring them that there is no oil here and the forecast looks good. People are definitely watching it.” In St. Petersburg, Capt. C.A. Richardson guides mostly in the Tampa Bay region, but he also holds a Louisiana guides license for his annual spring trips to Delacroix on the northeast side of the Mississippi Delta. Incurring 20 days of Delta fishing cancellations does not surprise him, but his loss of Florida trips has been frustrating. “I’ve talked to (friends) in Louisiana and they’re losing trips left and right,” Richardson said. “But there’s no reason for us to be losing trips in Florida.” For those with Florida trips booked, as well as those considering a visit to the Sunshine State, Richardson summarizes the situation: “We are totally unaffected (by the oil spill) at this time and there are plenty of fish to catch. The beaches are clean, there’s no smell and it’s business as usual.”
