THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 7, 1996 TAG: 9601040125
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 07 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Another View
TYPE: Opinion
SOURCE: BY PHIL HAYWOOD
LENGTH: Long : 123 lines
This is in response to the articles printed in The Virginian-Pilot Dec. 19. It seems we are always hearing from the sports fishermen, so now I'd like to state some of my views.
I've been a commercial fisherman all my life - like my family before me. I try my best to keep up with all the laws and regulations that are imposed upon me every time the wind shifts, and I try to follow those rules. I am not wasteful, and I am not out to wipe out the entire fish population, as some have insinuated. That would be cutting my own throat, wouldn't it?
Believe me, there is no one who cares more about the fisheries than the commercial fisherman, because if the fisheries go, then our livelihood goes with it. I am tired of being singled out as the major contributing factor of our declining fisheries. I see many reasons for the struggling fish supply, and I am not on the top of the list. Water quality and loss of habitat are.
We live in a very fragile environment, and yet there is no end in sight to the development of this area. Every ``second home,'' rented cottage, motel, restaurant - every bulkhead, golf course, etc., has a hand in this. Some of our best fish nurseries are now home to the Jet Ski and parasail rentals. Acres of marshland have been destroyed in the quest for the perfect waterside dream house. People go about their business of having fun, oblivious to anything else. And I haven't even mentioned any of the reasons for the pollution we get as runoff from inland areas.
Sports fishermen who come here boast about how much money they spend, and that money is supposed to buy them their power. Politicians and officials listen to these people because the tourist industry has supposedly made this a ``rich'' county. That's according to what your definition of ``rich'' is, I guess. To me, it has been our ruination.
I'm not singling out sports fishermen or commercial fishermen as No. 2 or No. 3 on my list of declining fisheries factors, because I feel like we should share the blame. Mainly, there are just too many people wanting to share the pie. I just can't understand the concept of pleasure coming before a person's livelihood.
Some of you sports fishermen come here and expect the commercial fishermen to step aside and let you have your fun, but we are working. This is our job, and just as we would not interfere with your way of making a living, you should not interfere with ours.
There are some good and some bad among both sports fishermen and commercial fishermen, just as there are some good lawyers and some bad lawyers. It's a shame that the few with the big mouths keep stirring up trouble without knowing the facts.
I have never heard of anyone's tires being slashed, nor have I heard of anyone's cottage being threatened. And the death threats? Is that a case of sensationalism, or just a guilty conscience? You're not trying to make the commercial fisherman look like a common criminal, are you? And the tackle shops with guns - why is that? We have police. And who do these owners think they are going to have to shoot, the commercial fisherman or the sports fisherman? It seems to me that mostly sports fishermen would be in a tackle shop, unless there is a commercial fisherman in there selling bait.
I know most of the beach fishermen in Dare County, and I know all of them from Colington. There is not one of us who would not treat you with respect if you treat us with respect. We are making a good and decent living, it is our heritage (of which we are very proud), and this is our home - that we love. There have been many nice people I have met on the beach who have watched me fish, and often they have offered to help. If they had questions, I tried to answer them. Whether they talked, helped or just watched, they all seemed to enjoy themselves, and some were rewarded with a few fresh fish for supper. It is easy to be nice to people who are friendly and show respect. These are the ones who don't criticize our life, but enjoy sharing a part of it.
And this to all the sports fishermen who became infuriated by the sight of my net that washed into the pier: Believe me, no one was any more upset than I was. My main concern was that the fish might go to waste, but since they all ended up being taken or given away, that concern was taken care of. I just can't understand why Mr. Coyner and a few others created such a stir. It was not as if I were violating any laws or trying to lose a $1,000 net full of fish. It was an unfortunate accident, just as if a sports fisherman's line were to break and he were to lose his fish. That's only one fish, you say? How many sports fishermen does that happen to every day? I suspect you just see what you want to see.
Should the commercial fishermen call the newspaper or the fisheries every time they see a fish with a hook in its mouth or a line hanging from its guts, or the side of its mouth ripped off or cut out to get the hook back? I know that a high percentage of fish that are so proudly released do, in fact, die.
I would also like to remind all sports fishermen that it wasn't too many years ago that WE were infuriated - no, sickened - by the sight of piles and piles of bluefish left to rot on the beach by recreational fishermen. The dumpsters were filled to capacity, and bluefish were piled high beside them. This was no accident, but intentional disregard and disrespect. You could never accuse me of that.
Mr. Coyner stated that he'd ``like to see all the licenses taken away from all the haul seiners on the Outer Banks.'' Why just the Outer Banks? Why not Virginia, too? Why not the USA? Why not the whole world? But the commercial fishermen in Virginia or Mexico don't bother you, do they, Mr. Coyner? What would you have us do after you take our licenses away? Become developers or real estate agents? Work in a tackle shop? Go into the tourist industry - renting out Jet Skis, maybe? How about a job pumping out septic tanks? Or would you prefer we have a more respectable job - like becoming a lawyer?
And to Jack Herrington, who wants less pressure on the fishing industry from commercial fishermen - what about the fish that are strictly sports fish, such as our large-mouth bass, brim, crappie, pike - should I go on? They are not caught commercially, yet where are they? Our creeks used to be overrun with them. Can you blame that on us? Could it be that commercial fishermen get blamed for everything because we are the only thing left that can be controlled? Are we being used as the fall guy?
Instead of pointing fingers, look in the mirror. We are all part of the problem. I have to believe that the majority of people are good and decent and that we all have one common goal: the betterment of our fisheries. A few selfish people should not expect to use our fisheries officials, who are trying to do a good job, as referees between commercial fishermen and sports fishermen. Let those people spend their time doing more important things for our fisheries.
Footnote: For those concerned, beach haul seiners were on a quota system. When the quota was caught up, the season closed. Commercial fishermen had no chance of catching up all the rock, as some people would have you believe. Whether the fish were all caught in one day (or out of one school), or whether they were caught over three months, the results were the same. Only the amount allowed by law were taken. This year the season opened Dec. 1 and closed Dec. 20. Was that too much to ask? by CNB