Each time I see the topic of conservation come up on our site I just smile. The reason I am smiling is two-fold. The first reason is because it amazes me that when you get a group of anglers together it is next to impossible to get them to agree on anything. Each has their own opinion, which they normally justify with sound logic, but the truth of the matter is, when it comes to the topic of conservation there are many good ideas and many of them will work, and therefore the debates are thought provoking and provide us all with ideas on how best to manage the future of our resources. The other reason I smile is that I am happy that anglers, as a group, have shown that their awareness of their impact on our resources is increasing every day and as a group we can all work toward strengthening our fisheries for future generations.
The climate among anglers is changing. You cannot pick up a publication of a popular magazine without finding at least one commentary on how to practice successful catch-and-release and how if you plan to keep fish to be aware of the status and regulations of that particular \species in your fishing area. The number of kill tournaments for billfish is steadily dropping as big money sponsors are realizing the change in the thinking of anglers and will not sponsor these tournaments. Catch-and-release tournaments are becoming the norm and not the exception.
Charleston is an area that will see quite a bit of change in the fishing landscape over the next several years. The growth of the area and the increased number of people moving to the coast and the increased fishing pressure will cause more changes in catch limits. For the first time the South Carolina Governor’s Cup Billfish series will be catch-and-release only. There is also a tremendous groundswell building in the fishing community to tighten regulations trout, flounder, and sheepshead among others. Anglers have seen the increased number of redfish and want to see other species flourish.
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