COVID: Killing Small Fishing Charters
Southern Florida April 2020; Captain Tom’s boat and schedule would be packed on a normal spring morning, when March has continued to April and legions of Snook scurry in shallow water near to robust mangroves.
For the half tower and 300-horsepower motor, his 24-foot Canyon Bay would usually be bringing corporate types, locals or even the last wave of spring breakers over flats and under bridges. He would be baiting with Pilchards one hook after another, saying where customers would cast for the best chance of pulling in the Redfish prize, or at least the entrée the evening.
Usually running a dozen trips or so a week this time of year and just getting ready to gear up for summer. The Captain’s boat is empty on this cloudless, cool morning as he idles towards a vacant ramp at Maximo Park in south St. Petersburg. For him and the clients, who usually pay $400 (per two anglers) for a half day and $700 for eight hours, a blissful day like this would usually be bountiful. But in March alone the Coronavirus pandemic had cost him 28 charters.
“Really, it’s kind of demoralizing because it’s like, ‘Man, this is going to be a great year,'” said the operator of the charter fishing service Salinity Now.
“2020 started off great, everything went really well, projections were fantastic. Then this is just when it was going to get busy, hot-and-heavy.
Campbell — allowed to hold up to six customers at a time — says he’s remaining in the company for now. It is unclear whether he is legally permitted to continue working and recent government decrees give no clarity.
Will these charter trips come back, again???
Orders provided by the Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the County Commissioners’ Pinellas County Board list boat charters as “non-essential businesses” that will close during the pandemic. But those same orders indicate that “essential activities” are fishing and recreational boating. It also says boat ramps, marinas, and bait / tackle shops may remain open.
Additionally the U.S. is licensing charter captains from Coast Guard Service. “What’s confusing is, the Coast Guard lists us as important,” said 23-year-old Rob Gorta, a charter fishing captain based in St. Petersburg. “We are Mariners Traders.”
Unfortunately for these captains and the other 3,500 captains in the state with valid charter licenses (according to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission of Florida), their status — essential or non-essential — seems to be a moot point.
They cannot get a nibble of business these days. “I’ve been running one trip since March 21,” Gorta said. “And they will usually be booked regularly.”Dave Mistretta, operator of Jawstoo Fishing Charters and a 37-year-old business veteran, is in the same figurative, foundering boat. Mistretta, whose 40-foot vessel is docked behind an Indian Rocks Beach Holiday Inn, considers the coronavirus a worse calamity for the industry than the decade-old Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
“I am angry,” he said. “I mean, all the way from the whole month of March we’ve been booked solid and now April is wide open. … I don’t need to take anybody.’ Even if he did, he would be empty-handed. Private boat owners can go fishing for themselves and family if they need food, but even if I questionably broke the law the trips are few and far between. Nobody is flying from the West Coast or driving from up north to come to Florida to fish.
In one way, few practices support the spirit of social distancing like recreational saltwater fishing, which in 2018 contributed nearly $ 8 billion to Florida’s economy.
The Charter’s go from 6 people and 2 or 3 and Crew of one or maybe two. With each additional angler a 6-foot rule easily gets compromised.
One of the captains said he took a few friends out for fishing and he was nervous all the time, because he didn’t know if he would get stopped and fined as well knowing where they were standing.
Others do not share that preoccupation. Another Captain says he would probably not be taking a six-day party these days, he insists he can observe guidelines for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with fewer customers aboard his 24-footer.
“I ‘m open to business,” Captain G said, who contributes to the local newspapers twice-monthly reports on fishing. “I’m advertising but the angler’s aren’t there like they were before. Hopefully TunaGodz.com can help these captains get going again once things are opened up for people to feel more comfortable being around other people without feeling uncomfortable!
The pandemic has wiped out what is usually the peak season of the industry, where the only days off were due to inclement weather. The crisis has also spawned one captain of Islamorada, to launch a petition requesting financial assistance from DeSantis for the charter fishing industry. It has had nearly 3,600 signatures.
“We are asking the State to recognize desperately needed aid support,” says the petition. “Without it, our companies could well not thrive, dramatically the fishing is a big driver of tourism dollars vital to Florida’s post-COVID 19 recovery economic engine.”
“Not even the hurricanes compete with this hurricanes come and go, this in the future is not over. That’s the toughest part.” They are fishing for answers but don’t have a clue of what the catch will be at the end of the day? For TunaDivas.com
