Sport Fishing Reels Over Oil Spill

© Flickr / BBC World Service

It's been more than two months since the Deep Water Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, killing eleven men and triggering what has become the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history. As of June 15th, over 100 million gallons of oil has been spilled into the Gulf and over forty thousand barrels a day continue to spill with no end in sight.

Overlooked in the national news has been the plight of the sport fishing and recreational fishing industry in the Gulf states. As sport fishing enthusiasts know, countless businesses rely on this industry to make a living. Hundreds of thousands of jobs depend on the ability of people to get out and go fishing. Scientists and marine biologists cannot predict yet what the overall environmental impact will be. What we do know is that the economic losses will reach into the billions of dollars, adversely affecting this industry for decades.

We can only predict how BP's oil spill will affect our ability to fish the Gulf in the future. But here's what we do know now.

The Tournaments

For the first time in its forty year history, the Pensacola International Billfish Tournament has been cancelled due to the spill. Jeremy Creech, President of the Pensacola Big Game Fishing club reports that with sixty to seventy boats entered; this tournament alone brings at least $3 million into the community. In addition to the cancellation of the International Billfish Tournament, several others have been cancelled as well, including the Ladies Tournament and the JR Anglers tournament. Each of these tournaments has entries of twenty to twenty five boats and brings an additional $500,000 to the city.

Orange Beach Marina in Orange Beach, AL is the headquarters for at least five major fishing tournaments and acts as headquarters for the Mobile Big Game Fishing Club. All tournaments hosted by the Orange Beach Marina and the Mobile Big Game Fishing Club have been cancelled. Earl Long and his family own the marina. Earl reports that his projected losses for the month of May could be as high as $250,000. Long also predicted that the total loss to the community from the tournament cancellations could be close to $10,000,000.

Both Venice, LA and Golf Port, MI are are huge players in the world of saltwater sport fishing and recreational angling, bringing in billion of dollars to the local economies each year. Each port hosts several tournaments including the two largest big game tournaments in the area. The Cajun Canyons Billfish Classic Tournament out of Venice, LA. and the Gulf Port Classic out of Gulf Port, MS. have both been cancelled.

The Fish

Of course, the charter industry is reeling too. Some boats have been hired by BP to help in the containment effort. Two such boats, which declined to be identified by name, were recently sitting in 120 feet of water off the coast of Orange Beach, AL, doing some bottom-fishing while waiting for instructions from BP when they caught red snapper with oil in their gills and on their scales. The entire gulf coast charter boat fleet relies on bottom-fishing to catch species like grouper, snapper and amberjack, which are the lifeblood of their industry. These red snapper, then, could be our canaries in the coal mine for more trouble to come. 

Cajun Classic director Steve Thomas has flown over the spill several times and reported that on May 29, the 252 block of the Mississippi Canyon was covered with oil. This is one of the most productive fishing grounds in the Gulf and a prolific breeding and spawning ground for marlin, blue fin tuna, wahoo, mahi-mahi, and many other Pelagic species and marine life.

Marine Biologist Dr. Dave Kerstetter from Nova Southeastern University warns that an entire year class of these species could be lost due to the spill's effects. Dr. Kerstetter and others also believe that the oil could end up damaging fishery habitat like coral reefs and mangroves which would lead to loss of prey for young fish and to large fish kills due to lack of oxygen in the water.

Looking Ahead

Tackle stores, restaurants, charter boats, inshore fishing guides, hotels, condo rentals, Marinas, boat rentals, rental car agencies, boat brokers, and countless others in the sport fishing industry are all being effected by the Gulf oil spill. The eventual cost to the Gulf Coast, related to sport fishing and recreational fishing and boating alone will be in the billions of dollars.

The fishing communities that participate in and thrive off of this industry are also some of the most generous in helping to raise funds for organizations like The Billfish Foundation and other charities. These charities will also suffer and will be financially handicapped when it comes to fighting for responsible fisheries management and the rights of the fishing public. These organizations need support from other areas in order to help these people recover from this disaster.

Depending on wind and current directions, the economic effects on the industry could reach numbers unimaginable as the oil spreads to other states and communities. In the mean time it is important for all of us to help out in any way we can. Make sure the federal government knows how you feel by speaking with your right to vote and by joining organizations like The Billfish Foundation, The Coastal Conservation Association and the International Game Fish Association. It is of utmost importance that we join together as a community so that the people who make their living on and around the ocean have a voice and will be included in the “Fisheries Disaster Declarations” by decision makers in Washington. It would also be nice if one or several of the national news broadcasts would give some coverage on what this spill is doing to our industry. Until then, it's up to us to speak out.