Shrimping Justice

Where is the river shrimping justice? We police ourselves when there is no money or resources available to enforce the laws. More and more confrontation is being reported to myself from the local waters. Maybe its the economy, maybe its boaters with entitlement issues but …I am standing in the sand about to draw a line.

The Florida laws state that we are not allowed to move our boat while a shrimping frame net is attached. That would be considered ‘trawling’. But what do we do when we see a commercial boat doing circles dragging a shrimping frame net every night about the same time in the tide change, night after night? How many times can that commercial fisherman make excuses to us when we bitch about his motion in the ocean cutting off our stream. If we turned our head anymore to ignore the “trawling” part we could be Linda Blair’s stand in for the next sequel of the exorcist.  Here, we go…another vessel above the law, the same type of personality profile that ensures I bring a weapon on my vessel.

I mean, really. What do the commercial vessels have to worry about? Will FWC make their presence known on the river like in years past when they issued $78 tickets for no stern lights in 2010? It is 2013, and I have witnessed commercial vessels trawling on more than one occasion. Perhaps, this would be a good time to mention others have reported this same finding matching the same description. I have witnessed a wing in the water that did not appear to be a 3×5 piece of mono after March 1st when the commercial vessels must retire their wings. It is these mid April sightings on the river that bring harm and disrespect to ALL the other commercial vessels who are law abiding, polite and always present watching our or aiding a sporty in distress.

They get a bad name, they get branded by stereotypes. Nobody talks about the commercial vessel that helps the sporty’s jumping their battery, or giving them some good information how to do better on the river. Nope, we do not seem to remember those commercial folks but we do remember those who’s name start with the letter, “A” and has the word “hole” on the back end of the name.

Do I think sporties should video camera a commercial vessel and blast it on Youtube and face book when the sporty wants to win the arguement that started on the water? Absolutely not. I do not believe the camera always tells the whole story, and trying a commercial in social media based on a “bias” point of view is unfair.

There are so many wonderful commercial fisherman on our local rivers, and there always seems to be at least 1 that marches to the beat of a different drum. This season we seem to have had various incidences in the Oak Hill Lopez area of Volusia County. We have had an elderly couple towed out of the channel by a commercial gent hooking their anchor dragging them into the mud flats and abandoning their vessel stranded. We have witnessed on more than one occasion by several boaters, a commercial vessel trawling a net on a short circle in general area between CM 4 & 7.

How can we get along where the sporty’s do not drop in on a commercial vessel’s stream and cut off their shrimp run. This is their living and they should have priority on the river. But, do we owe this same courtesy to a commercial boat that disregards the law night after night? Do commercial vessels have the right to move around and jump in front of a sporty boats and shut down their stream.

It is the general consensus we need to get along. When we try to communicate a “teachable moment” among our OWN peers on the river, we get ignored. Do I think all vessels should communicate when they feel wronged? I absolutely do. We owe that respect to one another and it does not have to lead to a heated exchange of words. But, it often goes there nonetheless.

I am not perfect. I am as flawed as the next angler. Sometimes I go “street wise” on another boater who feels they are above courtesy. Yes, I try to have a conversation with the boater who I feel was inconsiderate to/or near me. But it meets with rejection more than not. I point out what I feel was not necessary and I get attitude. This becomes a knee jerk trigger to the “Flight, Fight, or Fright” response within me but thank God the current does not let you idle long trying to engage with this other boater and I am forced to move on with my night.

Was the issue resolved between me and him? Was this issue closed? Did something good come of the opportunity to share an action that is not necessary on the river? No.

The same little boat came back to the river the next night and I happened to once again intersect with this “un-finished” business. In that moment, I decided to concede the river is the land of the no rules, no cops and pushed a wall of water at his boat as if to say, “How did you like that, Bucko?”

I have not seen that boat since, but I will be curious if things will be different between us next time. Who knows who he was, but there was not question who I was (the down side of decals & lettering on my boat) not to mention it was full daylight at Lopez. Why passing boaters blow a wall of water towards small craft who have persons dipping off their bow escapes me. Impatience vs. safety, how is it a majority of boater’s choose the wrong answer.

We don’t have to put up with it, and I think we need to hold people accountable for their actions.  I think 2013 season went pretty smooth considering no FWC was not around to put the fear of God in us. The early season FWC shake downs at Riverbreeze ramp lost it’s impact on us quickly, we have seen this budget reduction behavior before. We knew “the scare” would last less than a week and the rest of the season would be with no policing. We were right.

But something else happened this year, we came together at the Academy and started resolving and mediating our own problems. This is a huge step in the right direction. If nothing else it almost gives us some control as a community to patrol and be patrolled. But, we are only half the equation on the river, we are the “sporty”. May the rest of 2013 keep the upstanding commercial vessels (the other half of the equation) safe and prosperous. May the renegade commercial vessels move out of our waters. You may not have gotten caught this year, but quit while your ahead.