Many recreational fishers have a strong conservation ethic and the good news is that, with the help of strong management measures, depleted stocks can be rebuilt. "Everyone has to be part of the solution. There's little use in commercial and recreational fishers pointing fingers at each other," says author and ardent recreational fisherman Carl Safina, president of the Blue Ocean Institute. "Commercial fishing is not all bad and recreational fishing is not all good. A fish doesn't care if you are a commercial or recreational fisherman. It only cares if it is surrounded by water -or on ice."
"Recreational fishing is important to many people," says Coleman. "For some it's a way to commune with nature, for others it fulfills a deep desire to hunt. But if folks want to continue recreational fishing, we all need to support management of both commercial and recreational fisheries that will allow fish populations to recover and protect the structure and function of marine systems."
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Contact: Jessica Brown
jbrown@seaweb.org
202-497-8375
SeaWeb
26-Aug-2004