It's great to be made aware of the issues facing fish and fishermen around the world. Although this doesn't affect me personally, in Ohio, it reminds me that we fishermen and hunters are the folk most closely connected to conservation issues in our areas. If we don't pay attention to such issues who will? Some bureaucrat behind a desk in some government office? For the most part they’ve probably never been over 200 yards from pavement in their lives. Get real! Fish and deer don’t pay taxes. And if it comes to a decision between a fish hatchery and a floating casino guess which adds to the tax base? Despite the huge funding already provided by excise taxes, the fish will LOOSE!
Many places where I hunt and fish are NOT tourist areas with outfitters and businessmen whose bread and butter is directly related to the quality of wildlife management in the area. That throws the battle and advocacy to those of us with no real “dog in the fight” other than the love of the wildlife we pursue. I’d like to hear more about what “average” folk are doing for conservation and the hits and misses they experience.