In having a lively debate with a close friend the other day regarding the PTTS, STT, BGFGA – all the familiar hot-topic initials currently floating around Boca Grande Pass – my live-and-let-jig friend kept demanding the scientific proof that the jig is harming the fishery. Where is the proof that the fish are snagged. Where is the proof that the fish's habits and patterns are changing? Where is the proof that the numbers are lower? And to that, I countered, "Where is the proof that the jigs aren't snagging? Where is the proof that the patterns are the same? Where is the proof that the population is the same?" We came to a stalemate. As I have friends and resources that are long-time area fishermen, so does he. As I have internet articles and commentary against the Boca Grande Jig, he has just as many pro-Jig. Currently, there is no clear cut scientific proof for either side where there is absolute 100% certainty of anything. The problem, it seems to me, is that there is no baseline that has ever been recorded for Boca Grande Pass' Tarpon. All both sides can rely on is hearsay and common sense. And common sense seems to vary in these parts.
In any case, as my friend continued to badger me with "produce the numbers" questions, I finally replied with this: "The issue here is about many factors; the jig, the tarpon, the hostility in the Pass, sportsmanship, ethics, the local economy, outsiders with no vested interest in the island, and many, many other issues too long to list. However, to me, what this whole thing comes down to is watching our Boca Grande history spiraling around the drain."
What I mean by that is that it's our Boca Grande legacy that is under attack. Our fishing heritage, our families' past, our children's futures. We live and work in a pristine environment and community where the one thing that makes it so special is the culture and natural resources we enjoy on Boca Grande. That is what's at stake. We have the Gasparilla Island Conservation District Act of 1980 (Ch 80-473) to protect the island, but nothing in place to protect the waters and the fishery that also make up the natural beauty and allure of Boca Grande. The jig is not the sole issue, but it is the heart of the beast that is trying to destroy our way of life.
Boca Grande is not a city built on manufacturing. There are no factories, no biomedical industries, no technology sectors. For most families that have lived generations on Boca, their income was generated through fishing and tourism. And the primary asset in both of those fields is our local fishery. How on earth, can we simply sit back and let our fishery, which pretty much defines our island culture, become exploited? We've let the fishery go too long without regulation and supervision. And that's what we're looking for now. We're not going to let this resource go without a fight.
We want you to fish in Boca Grande Pass. We want you to know the thrill of catching a tarpon on live bait! But we want you to savor the experience that is Boca Grande, and respect what makes it so special. Let's preserve this special place of future generations. That's what we're asking.
So do we have "numbers?" Perhaps not. But don't let the opposition lead you to believe that we don't have good reason to want the jig banned. We have the history, and we have the passion to fight for what's right.
There are many others who feel the same. Here's another take on the issue of destroying Boca Grande culture – comparing the PTTS and the jig culture to the reality show "Jersey Shore," give it a read.
As reprinted from the Boca Beacon – June 07, 2013
http://bocabeacon.com/news/letters-to-editor/5439#.UbIcwKF_Mns.facebook
To the Editor:
Just when things start to quiet down a bit in Boca Grande, the circus known as the Professional Tarpon Tournament Series (PTTS) rolls into town. When I pick up a paper or turn on the television and see this tournament being glorified and promoted, I get very angry. When I see some of the local media touting the ongoing struggle in Boca Grande to rid ourselves of this scourge as nothing more than locals not wanting to share, I become livid.
Imagine being a resident of the Jersey Shore when THAT reality show started airing and promoting your neighborhood like they did, then harassing you if you spoke out against it. Gasparilla Island is no different from any other community.
The residents here created this beautiful community and are responsible to maintain it. Visitors here are just that – visitors, and while all are welcome, they are expected to respect the values and traditions that have made this island what it is. Absent of residents who care deeply about their neighborhood, any developer, retail operation or reality show circus would have the ability to come in and destroy this beauty for their own profit.
Ask anyone who lived on Fort Myers Beach a few years back before the resorts and bars moved in.
The Boca Grande Comprehensive Plan Amendment, Lee County states: “The State of Florida recognized that the conservation of the natural beauty, plant, marine, animal and bird life of the islands was in the best interest of the residents and property owners of the islands, the citizens of Lee and Charlotte Counties and the State of Florida, and consequently created the Gasparilla Island Conservation District by enacting the Gasparilla Island Conservation District Act of 1980 (Ch 80-473).”
Lee County and the state of Florida authorized us to preserve and maintain Boca Grande and its surrounding resources to reflect the values and appearance of our community. The PTTS and its affiliates have taken it upon themselves to show the world their version of what Boca Grande is all about and their depiction is dead wrong.
On top of that, they are essentially strip mining a resource for profit and will move on when the fishery is irreparably damaged or completely collapses leaving the island economy in shambles and a natural resource destroyed. We are stewards of the natural resources of our community and we are responsible for how our community is portrayed to the world.
“DJ” Gary Ingman and Joe “The Situation” Mercurio created a “tournament” reality show and have lined their pockets with advertising dollars from it. We have proven their “tournament” rules are bogus. Foul-hooked and dead tarpon are counted as catches, against their own “rules.”
Other anglers in the area are forced out so they can film the NASCAR-style circus they call fishing without anyone else in their camera shots. Millions of people then watch this sham reality show and think that is what fishing looks like in Boca Grande and we, the community, are left to re-educate the world on ethical techniques and behavior, not to mention clean the beaches up when the dead tarpon wash ashore. Ingman and Mercurio saw a way to make a lot of money off a reality TV show and they jumped on it, without regard for the neighborhood or the fish they were making that money off of. Even their website is pttstv.com. That says a lot to me. It’s all about the TV show.
The PTTS is our “Jersey Shore” reality show and like the actual residents of the Jersey Shore, we want them gone and I make no apologies for it. We sincerely hope the Boca Grande jig will be banned at the June 12th FWC meeting but, given the money made off this tournament, my guess is that Ingman and Mercurio are coming up with a plan B snagging device to circumvent any new rules and keep their cash cow mooing. We will be watching.
Mary Anne Hastings
Boca Grande
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