Table of Contents
Executive Summary
This proposal will be based on a fishing regulation in Florida. This proposal would be sent to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The problem commercial fishermen are facing is that there is a regulation that states that in order to catch a mahi mahi it needs to have a size limit of 20 inch or more and also, they have a limit of 10 per person which is the incidental by bycatch. Commercial fishermen cannot live off of this since there are profitable and unprofitable fishing days.
Description of Situation
Commercial fisherman lives off of selling fish. There are two types of regulation for catching mahi mahi. Commercial fishermen must abide by a law that states they can only catch mahi mahi over 20 inches and only 10 fish per person per bycatch. The size limit is only regulated in some places, the “minimum size limit for dolphin off the east coast of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina (effective 4/16/12) with no size restrictions elsewhere.” (Only et al., 2018). But one advantage they have rather than recreational fishing is that commercial fisherman is “permitted vessel fishing north 39% N. latitude, that does not have a federal commercial vessel permit for dolphin or wahoo, there is a trip limit of 200 pounds of dolphin and wahoo, combined.” (Only et al., 2018) One of the main problems is that they need to live off of selling fish. When we are in mahi mahi season, mahi come out in a size of more than 20 inches weighing 20-60 lbs. If fisherman break this law their commercial license could be suspended, can face detrimental demands, or their boat can get confiscated. So, they can only catch six to seven fish per day. Commercial fishermen only live off of selling fish to restaurants and fisheries.
Commercial fishermen find this regulation unfair because when they go out to fish they never know what could happen. When they go fishing there are good and bad days where they could catch 10 dolphins, while other days catching more and seeing more than what the regulation states. Since this regulation has not been changed, commercial fishermen do not give that amount of importance to the regulation since they need to live off of selling fish. Fishing is very expensive, to where one can spend five hundred or more dollars every day they go out. Every time they fish, commercial fishermen have in their mind that they need to catch lots of fish in order to pay for the day and also have extra money for their personal expenses. For example, they need to pay water, food, insurance, light, diesel, gasoline, and etc. In order for them to pay all this they need high amounts of fish to cover their wages.
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Proposed Solution
There is a problem that commercial fishermen are facing about the regulation of catching mahi mahis. We can solve their problem by proposing that commercial fisherman should not have a limit of catching mahi mahi fish per day and per person, but they need to face the size limit. Recreational fishermen are the ones who should need to face this regulation since they do it for fun and because they could go with friends while commercial fishermen are trying to live off of selling fish. Commercial fishermen need to follow at least the size limit because there are fisheries and restaurants that would not buy a 10-pound mahi mahi because they can’t use it to sell it on a plate since the meat that comes out is too small.
Fisheries would not buy them because the restaurant can use them, so they don’t get any advantage from buying the fish. Only that the ones who fish for fun are the one who need to face this regulation. Instead of the current regulation commercial fishermen should not face any regulation except the 20 inches regulation. Fishing is not an easy sport and when you go out fishing you will have good day and bad days, but you never know what could happen out there. Also, we need to take in consideration the days that the sea is rough, and you cannot go out there to fish.
This regulation was established by president Bush on 1970. “Bush signed a reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which dates to the mid-1970s and governs all fishing in U.S. waters. A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers joined environmental groups, some fishing interests and scientists to insert language in the law requiring each fishery to have annual catch limits in place by the end of 2011 to end overfishing.” (Anon, 2018) After the president established this law the National Oceanic and Atmospheric said that instead of 2011 the regulation would start from “Although NOAA didn’t meet the law’s Dec. 31 deadline — it has finalized 40 of the 46 fishery management plans that cover all federally managed stocks — officials said they are confident that they will have annual catch limits in place by the time the 2012 fishing year begins for all species. (The timing varies depending on the fish, with some seasons starting May 1 or later.” (Anon, 2018)
This fish is very common and are found through the “Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic Waters, FL Gulf State Waters, FL Atlantic Waters, North Carolina, Alabama State Waters, South Carolina, Maryland, Virginia State Water, Georgia, Bahamian waters, Exuma cay, and Caribbean waters” (. ). Every location has a different regulation for example, in the Gulf of Mexico there is no regulation for catching mahi, in South Atlantic Waters you have a bag limit of 10 fish 200 by boat and in Florida is 20 inch or more 10 by bycatch. In South Atlantic the commercial fisherman has a regulation that the mahi mahi need to have more than 20 inch and you can catch up to 200 pounds. In Florida there is a limit size of 20 inch and you can catch 10 by bycatch. So, another solution we can establish Is why do South Atlantic can have more pound regulation for commercial fishermen since it’s also on the South Florida the reason is that Florida is more towards the Bahamas and the South Atlantic is towards South Carolina. It is the same water where mahi mahi comes down as well so why can we not put our rule as the south Atlantic
After I have interviewed a Commercial fisherman, he said to me “why not to take all the fish when you see them because you don’t know what could happen tomorrow since I am living out of selling all my fish.” The fish population have increase from the past 10 years. After I have told him my proposal regulation, he told me it was a good solution for the community of commercial fisherman since we all live out of it and also, we need to cover all our personal expenses out of selling the fish. He also said it was a good idea of only recreational fishermen to face only the regulation and we the commercial fishermen don’t need to face that regulation. The dolphin population has been increasing.
On 1985 commercial fishermen where catch 446 lbs. of mahi mahi fish between 108 vessels, in 1996 they were catching 3,203 lbs. of mahi mahi fish between 277 vessels, in 2007 they were catching 9,161 lbs. of mahi mahi fish between 128 vessels, in 2008 they were catching 6,937 lbs. of mahi mahi fish between 130 vessels. (Sero.nmfs.noaa.gov, 2018) So, we can see how the mahi population has been increasing every year. We can see how there are good days out there and bad days. If this regulation passes the people that would be mad at me would be the recreational fishermen’s because they find this injustice that why does the commercial fishermen should not have a regulation while we recreational do. The reason why commercial fishermen should not have this regulation is because they live out of selling fish and they need to cover all personal expenses. Recreational do it just for fun and they have money and work which is not based of fishing and selling fish.
Plan for implementing the solution
This regulation takes a while to be processed because it needs to be processed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the International Game Fish Association. This will take an approximately three years since it needs to be processed by those Fishing Association. People would be notified about this regulation. People would know when they need to go to get their boat license, you captains license, all fishing stores, and through the media pages of fishing. In order to have this law approve we need to recollect all commercial fishermen who are against the regulation they have of catching mahi mahi in order to live. Commercial fishermen would be able to now if they approve it or not when commercial fishermen need to renovate their commercial fishermen license, they would be notified that the law has pass.
Now a day’s people are breaking this law because since they have a small amount of mahi mahi they can catch in a day it would not let commercial fishermen live a normal life. Every commercial fisherman needs to bring the fish to port without cleaning the fish it needs to have the entire body in order for the patrol of wildlife commission need to take the fish measurement. The cost would not vary because in every ramp of throwing boat to the water and in every homeport, there should be a wildlife patrol checking their catch. The weight they can also check it, but a wildlife patrol can now their weight by seeing the fish body. That is the reason why the cost doesn’t vary at all.
Alternative solution
We can also propose an alternative solution which can be that instead of having the commercial fishermen of Florida facing the regulation of 10 mahi by bycatch we can do that commercial fishermen can catch more than 10 mahi mahi. They could be able to catch up to 80 but the size regulation needs to be the same 20 inches. That will be an equivalent to 20 fish per person. The recreational fishermen’s need to still face their regulation which is 60 per boat.
Work Cited
- Only, S., Meeting, H., Workshop, M., Webinar, J. and Meeting, D. (2018). Dolphin Fish Regulations. [online] SAFMC. Available at: http://safmc.net/regulations/regulations-by-species/dolphin-fish/ [Accessed 8 Nov. 2018].
- Fishrulesapp.com. (2018). Dolphin Regulations. [online] Available at: https://fishrulesapp.com/fish/11/Dolphin [Accessed 8 Nov. 2018].
- Anon, (2018). [online] Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/us-tightens-fishing-policy-setting-2012-catch-limits-for-all-managed-species/2011/12/30/gIQALLObjP_story.html?utm_term=.4f8316b10f4f [Accessed 8 Nov. 2018].
- Florida Museum. (2018). Coryphaena hippurus. [online] Available at: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/coryphaena-hippurus/ [Accessed 8 Nov. 2018].
- “Coryphaenid Hippuric.” Florida Museum, 9 May 2017, www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/coryphaena-hippurus/.
- Sero.nmfs.noaa.gov. (2018). [online] Available at: https://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sustainable_fisheries/social/documents/pdfs/publications/2013/fssb_2010-01_cmp.pdf [Accessed 8 Nov. 2018].
