NOAA Sets Southeast Recreational Fishing Meeting for August 19

If you fish the Southeast, NOAA is asking for input. Do not sit that out and then complain when the rulebook lands on your head.

NOAA Fisheries is holding a virtual On the Water Wednesday meeting on August 19 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Eastern. The focus is recreational fishing in the Southeast, the future of the industry, and how angler-supplied data plays into management and regulations.

The meeting is set to include opening remarks from NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Administrator Andy Strelcheck, then time for anglers and the recreational fishing community to raise concerns and ideas. NOAA says the goal is to talk about maximizing fishing opportunities while keeping fish stocks healthy.

That balance is where the fight always lives. Nobody who cares about fishing wants empty water. At the same time, seasons, closures, bag limits, surveys, discard assumptions, and stock estimates need to be grounded in what fishermen are actually seeing and doing on the water.

Public meetings are not as exciting as a hot bite, but they matter. Commercial voices show up. Environmental groups show up. Agency staff show up. Recreational fishermen need to show up too, especially when the discussion is about the data used to build the rules we have to follow.