New rules, no-fishing zone for Biscayne National Park

Having Miami as a next-door neighbor has taken a severe toll on the 270-square-mile Biscayne National Park over the last three decades. Over-fishing has slammed stocks — more than 70 percent of 17 species are down — while anchors, traps lines and heavy boat traffic have crushed corals and raked seagrass meadows. More than 11,000 prop scars mar flats. Only six percent of its reefs remain.

The National Park Service will unveil a new general management plan intended to start reversing the decline with a suite of new rules for visitors that will, for the first time, include a controversial “no-fishing” marine reserve.

LINK (via: The Miami Herlad)

Needless to say the Keep America Fishing wing of the American Sportfishing Association is not happy about the proposed no fishing marine reserve.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article23137869.html#storylink=cpy

Presidential Hopefuls Share Their Views on Recreational Fishing

Keep America Fishing asks the President, and the stiff trying to take his job, eight questions regarding recreational fishing. Given that Keep America Fishing is funded in large part by the conventional tackle industry, it should be no surprise that there are a couple of questions regarding federal "overreach" in recreational marine fisheries management.

LINK