Former South Atlantic Council member Art Sapp (2018-2021) recently summed it up pretty clearly: “We failed miserably.” Unfortunately, the very agency in charge of managing the dolphin fishery doesn’t share the same concern nor the sense of urgency. The lack of big dolphin isn’t news- anyone who has fished for dolphin off the east coast of Florida in the last five years knows there are far fewer dolphin to catch today than in the past. The number of total fishing licenses sold in Florida in 2021 are up nearly 300,000 over pre- COVID 2018. Mahi limits need to be at most 5 per person or 30 per vessel counting anglers.”Īnd on top of the growing commercial pressure, you have an increasing number of recreational anglers. “I have noted fish declines especially in recent years. And that’s with an ever-growing number of dolphin landings by dedicated dolphin fishery commercial longline boats. We still don’t have a daily trip limit for the commercial longline dolphin fishery. The Council tried again in 2016 and again in 2020. In 2004 the Council passed a 3,000-pound trip limit, only to have the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) throw out the limit based on the assertion that the dolphin were only a bycatch. You read that right-no daily limits!įor nearly twenty years, efforts by recreational anglers, and even the Council have tried, unsuccessfully, to put daily commercial trip limits in place. At present, commercial fishing boats are allowed unlimited quantities. In addition to tighter recreational limits, anglers and conservationists are advocating for a daily limit on the amount of dolphin that may be taken by commercial boats. if there aren’t other dolphin in the water. The age-old tactic of leaving a hooked dolphin in the water to attract others may no longer work. They’re asking the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and the state of Florida, to reduce the number of fish they’re allowed to catch. But reports from Islamorada to Jacksonville indicate a shortage of all fish, regardless of size.Īnglers are advocating for, even demanding, a cut back in vessel limits. Most urgently, they have been highlighting the lack of slammer dolphin (fish over 20 pounds). It does not store any personal data.Anglers throughout Florida have been writing letters, attending meetings and making social media posts in an effort to bring attention to the noticeable decline in the dolphinfish, mahi, fishery. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
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