THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, December 30, 1995 TAG: 9512290033
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Another View
SOURCE: By PETER W. ROWE
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
As a member of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission and a person concerned with resource management for more than 40 years, I read with interest your series on the state of our marine fishery. Your newspaper is to be commended for publishing what is, for the most part, a clear, concise and comprehensive view of the important issues, largely free from apparent bias.
There are a few very important points, however, that have either been ignored or glossed over in the process, and which your readers should be reminded of.
First, this is not by any means a local problem. The subject has to be considered against the backdrop of a world whose marine resources have been steadily over-exploited to or past the point of collapse on every side. This condition has been widely reported by the United Nations, other respected agencies, and a variety of eminent scientists. Since 1950, the total annual catch worldwide has increased by 500 percent and is now assumed to be higher than the replenishment rate in most areas. Problems of which we are locally aware - loss of the Chesapeake Bay oyster, collapse of the Grand Banks fishery, decline in the wild catch of almost every species - are a microcosm of a worldwide crisis.
Against this backdrop it is irresponsible to portray as either hero or victim of bureaucracy the man who participates in the decimation of his own waters and then ``goes South'' to help strip the resources of an undeveloped nation. He is in my view no more than a buccaneer, intent on plunder, and no better than the Japanese longliners or huge Russian factory ships which rape the waters of the world, killing everything that comes their way and wasting much in the process.
Second, the attitude of much of the modern commercial-fishing interests is an anachronism - a holdover of an 18th- and 19th-century attitude, long abandoned where wild animals and birds are concerned, that every man has a ``right'' to take whatever he can from the commons, for his own profit, without control and without accountability. Perhaps because the cold-blooded animals of the sea do not evoke our empathy as furry and feathered prey do, perhaps because the waterman is often seen as a romantic figure, braving the elements and economic hardship to wrest a living from the sea, we too often refuse to call him to account for the rape of resources that belong to us all. The cold, hard truth is that there are too many fishermen and too much gear in the water that is too efficient in its killing. Until we all squarely face this reality, managers and fishermen alike, the problems will never be solved.
Finally, while no more justified than the commercial fishery in claiming an exclusive right to the resource, it must be recognized that recreational fishing is an industry too, one which pumps immense sums of money into our economy and one on which many livelihoods also depend. Governor Allen's Blue Ribbon Strike Force report estimated it at $250 million in Virginia. A study of the total economic impact of all sport fishing in Virginia completed in 1988 showed that based on 1985 data this ``recreational'' activity accounted for more than $490 million in just the actual amount of money spent on goods and services by anglers in the state. Add to that wages earned by the service sector, tax and license revenues, and returns via federal funds, and you are looking at something in the neighborhood of a billion dollars.
As managers we must seek to balance competing interests, to make it possible for the commercial fishery to survive in a healthy state, for the recreational fishing industry to continue its economic contribution to the commonwealth, but most of all for the resource to survive and repopulate so that both activities can be supported. The fisherman, whether commercial or recreational, must come to feel he has a vested interest in the health of the resource, not simply try to get the most he can before someone else does. If we all work together we can assure that there will be a reasonable amount for all, including future generations. In the existing climate of greed, short-term gain, competition and confrontation, there is little hope for anyone, least of all the resource, which should be our chief concern. MEMO: Mr. Rowe lives in Eastville.
by CNB