Commentary: Industry report stands up for Delaware’s fish and fisheries
After spending a 30-year career making fly rods in Montana, I retired to the East Coast in 2013 to be closer to where I grew up. As a former owner of Sweetgrass Bamboo Fly Rods in the Big Sky State, I learned early on that recreational fishing businesses not only depend on a healthy environment but also a long-term, sustainable population of fish. Consequently, our company got involved in many aspects of conservation, and I personally served on two governor task forces to address environmental and access issues. Upon moving back to this region, I became acutely aware of the problems facing marine fisheries, particularly striped bass.
Conservation of our marine resources should know no party lines. We should all strive for healthy ocean resources that ensure our kids and grandchildren have the same or better fishing opportunities than we experienced.
The American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA) recently released a blue-ribbon report on what its industry needs for a healthy future. AFFTA was not shy about tackling some hard issues, and the result is a road map for improving the environment and fishing opportunities for Delawareans.
The report provides a comprehensive approach to bringing our ocean resources and the economy that depends on healthy fisheries back to prominence. Delaware is an ecologically dynamic ecosystem that claims over 100,000 acres of tidal wetlands, as well as the second-largest population of shorebirds in the country, and is a vast nursery for many critical fish species. The more we learn about the ecosystem, the more we realize that it is all connected. AFFTA’s systematic approach reflects this connectivity. The report can be broken down into three sections: recover imperiled and overfished species, manage for abundant recreational fisheries and address key threats to sustainable fisheries.
The best tool we have to recover overfished stocks is the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). We must ensure that this law stays strong through stringent rebuilding of timelines, as well as accountability measures for overfishing. These tools have been in place since 2006 and have a proven track record of success. Unfortunately, many of our inshore fisheries, including striped bass, menhaden and even horseshoe crabs, are managed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), which lacks the same conservation tenets the MSA requires. Maybe it is time for an overhaul of ASMFC?
We also need to look at how the fish are managed once the populations are stabilized. What is the best approach for everyone from fishermen to bird enthusiasts to kayakers and boaters, who all enjoy a great day outdoors? AFFTA’s opinion would be that abundant fish populations drive the economy and participation in the outdoors. If we protect the fish, we protect fishing and other outdoor recreation. By managing for abundance, we ensure resiliency in our fisheries that will create a buffer to shield them from changes to our climate and habitat loss.
To tie it all together, we must address key threats to healthy fisheries by giving fisheries managers the tools to help us adapt to the impacts of climate change. It is well-documented that critical species, like summer flounder and black sea bass, are shifting north. Likewise, we are seeing more and more southern species, like speckled trout and red drum, in our area. Anglers are even seeing species like Florida pompano in the Delaware Bay. If we don’t understand what is happening, how can we effectively manage the resource?
The final and potentially most critical link in the change is habitat protection. Fisheries managers need to start looking into a holistic approach to management that incorporates threats like habitat loss and climate change into updated management practices. There are too many existential threats to our fisheries to manage them individually. Managers need to start looking at ecosystems, so we can address changes that affect everything from the bottom to the top of the food chain.
From the perspective of someone who has spent a lifetime committed to this cause, it seems obvious that, unless there is a comprehensive plan for the viable sustainability of all marine fish species, not only will the local economy be severely impacted, but also the quality of life for future generations will be imperiled. A healthy fishery translates into a healthy way of life for us all. Thanks to AFFTA for having the forethought and vision to address issues that our fisheries face. It is our turn as anglers to support the science-based recommendations to ensure the future of the fishing opportunities we love.
Jerry Kustich has written five fly-fishing books and still makes bamboo rods on the border of Delaware in Cecil County, Maryland.
