00009-2009 ( Pdf )

SEPTEMBER 2009 • Year 26 Issue 6 ON BOARD… Waypoints Boater’s Profile Classifieds 19 Commentary 6 Cargo cruising Boater enjoys Event Calendar 16 on the cheap? calm nights Health Wave 13 Tide Tables 17 10 11 No fishing zones seem likely for Biscayne park proposal Park staff fielding questions that How the public reacts will be determined during public Apart from the basic unpopularity of no-fishing areas, meetings scheduled in mid-September (see Upclose) in nicknamed MRZ for marine reserve zones, Lewis is con- decision was already made Florida City, Miami and Key Largo. A draft of four alternative fronting suspicion that the decision is already made with only BY ARNOLD MARKOWITZ plans describing moderate to severe fishing restrictions will be details left to settle. Waterfront News Fishing Columnist presented then for review and possibly for better ideas. “Even though some people think we’ve already cooked Biscayne National Park has awakened a dormant idea to “We’ll probably have a [no-fishing] reserve in at least one the books on this, what we learn [here] will help drive what close part of the park to fishing as a way to restore its dimly- of the alternatives that we’ll show you,” Biscayne superin- we produce,” he said at public workshop in Miami. remembered gamefish abundance of yore. tendent Mark Lewis said at a public workshop meeting in A man called Rafael was not convinced: “The process is When the prospect of no-fishing zones was introduced in July. “And you guys will have an opportunity to say we like really corrupted. It’s clear that you want to do it.” 2002, it was hollered down by the boating and fishing public this, we don’t like this.” Lewis’ opening presentation sounded as if he was trying and withdrawn by park staff. Now it’s being revived in a long- Two weeks later, all four alternatives were published with hard to sell his audience on no-fishing reserve zones. He stalled attempt to create a 5- to 10-year fishery management no-fishing reserves of varied severity. emphasized their potential for fish population recovery and plan for the park. cited them as a way to give snorkelers and divers their own spaces without intrusion by fishing boats. A careful reading of the draft plan gives Rafael’s suspicion some plausibility. For example, the park’s draft plans appear to take for granted that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is changing its longtime opposition to no-fishing zones. To close or not to close In early stages of a plan begun several years ago, the FWC refused to play partners with the park unless its stand against such zones was adopted. FWC is important to the understaffed park, where state boating and fishing regulations are used and FWC officers help rangers with enforcement. Ninety-five percent of the place is submerged in Biscayne Bay and the reefs between the bay and the Gulf Stream. In 2002, the park formally agreed with FWC that clo- sures weren’t warranted. They wrote a memo of understanding about it then and renewed it in 2007 for five more years. The understanding explicitly stated the FWC’s rejection of marine reserves, or no-fishing zones. There’s a copy of that document in the management plan draft, with a note saying that a revised version was signed two months later — on Dec. 27. FWC chairman Rodney Barreto told the “Waterfront News” he didn’t know a revision existed. “I’d like to see a copy of it myself,” he said. Photo courtesy/Nova Southeastern University That December the commission received a staff report Researchers from Nova Southeastern University dived 20 feet and tented coral for an ongoing project to restore reefs. about changing the memo without acting on it then. Park Superintendent Lewis said there was discussion about changing the objection to marine reserves to say instead Nova working on growing coral reefs that “all generally accepted fisheries management tools” BY BETH FEINSTEIN-BARTL Researchers have been working four years on the pro- should be considered. Waterfront News Writer gram, which involves fertilizing eggs and monitoring the “The Commission decided not to change the language, so As landlubbers went about their business, a once a year growth in saltwater-filled tanks. Although not yet successful at we never signed a modified version of the agreement in phenomenon was taking place underneath the waters just off getting the corals large enough to transplant back on to the December,” Lewis said. Fort Lauderdale beach. reefs, they've been making progress, Moulding said. “I guess it was wishful thinking on our part that a modi- Corals were engaged in an annual spawning ritual typ- “It's a learning process. We improve each year.” fied December agreement would be signed, and somehow we ically held each August following a full moon. Alison Their latest outing on Aug. 8 marked a new approach by failed to pull that line out.” Moulding, a marine scientist, was not there just to observe. researchers. Past dives have concentrated on collecting eggs The published version of the memo of understanding still She and a team of researchers were gathering eggs and and sperm from Great Star corals. The Nova team switched leaves the door ajar to severe restrictions, which could include sperm released by the living organisms. their focus this year to the Staghorn, which is on the govern- no-fishing zones. FWC would reconsider if convinced that Their mission was to take back specimens to their lab at ment's endangered species list. something so extreme is “absolutely necessary,” it says. the Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center in One of the largest colonies of Staghorn in the state is just “The FWC would still approach any state rulemaking Dania Beach, where Moulding is leading a project to grow the off Fort Lauderdale. from the point of view of putting in place the least restrictive corals and return them to the ocean. Researchers dived 20 feet and tented coral. Nets were measures needed to meet the fishery management goal," The idea behind their replanting efforts will go toward used to catch the millions of sperm and egg bundles that are said Mark Robson, head of the division of marine fisheries. helping restore reefs damaged by coastal development, cli- released and rise to water's surface. Timing is important. The The fishery management plan, FMP for short, includes a mate changes, over-fishing, pollution, anchors and vessel groundings. SEE CORAL P. 5. SEE ZONES P. 4. 2 WATERFRONT-NEWS.COM SEPTEMBER 2009 LIVE ABOARDS WELCOME! 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Sometimes I lose track of her how to use natural and artificial materials to imitate you go Fly-fishing down here?” where some of my tying stuff is. shrimp and crabs to lure fish that could take her breath away. Real answer: “Anywhere If you don’t tie flies or fish them, they look deceptively I would have made her a snook streamer with yak hair. Yes, there’s water and fish.” easy or awfully hard to make. The classic Atlantic salmon pat- yak hair! Who could resist? Before I could fly into a spiel on terns are hard, and so complex and gorgeous that you’d hate Surely she would have enjoyed the clippings and snip- the challenge and glory and, yes, the to throw one into a river where some slimy fish might nip it. pings of feathers, animal hair and realistic synthetics that romance of Fly-fishing down here, Looking at wispy tricos and midges tied on #28 hooks, I would cling to her clothing like the fur of cats and dogs in the lady’s companion beckoned her used to wonder who made them. Surely nobody bigger than a shedding season.

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