|
|
|
A TALE OF A FATEFUL TRIP
Story and photos by BRANDON DANE
| | (Click to View) |
The future of marine conservation starts here
On a slightly overcast July
morning, Capt. Wayne Conn,
Capt. Gus Valdes and first
mate Sherman Huffman squired more than
40 kids ages eight through 12 aboard the
72- foot Another Reward for a half day of
inshore fishing. Their mission was to teach
the kids about conservation and safety
and to insure that there will be a future
generation of fishermen. The children
were part of the International Game Fish
Association’s (IGFA) week-long summer
camps that operate for nine consecutive
weeks every year. Conn donates his time,
crew and boats to teach kids from the IGFA
and youth groups across South Florida to
“limit your catch; don’t catch your limit.”
“If you looked in the phone book
20 years ago you would have seen over
100 charter boats in operation,” Conn
maintained. “Now there’s only [a fraction
of that]. There’re just not enough people
coming up who want to fish. There is no
new generation.” Conn poses the question
to all fishermen and fishing related businesses, “What have
you done and what are you doing to promote the future of
our sport?”
Conn has been a professional sportfishing captain
for 34 years, and in his own words, has “done every
kind of fishing there is.” Initially, his inspiration for
providing education on ethical angling was to create his
own summer camps for children in the same age group
as the IGFA camp. His projects Kids Let’s Go Fishing
(www.kidsletsgofishing.com) and Kids Fish Free (www.
kidsfishfree.com) have put “The Reward Fishing Fleet”
at the forefront of teaching youngsters ethical angling
and providing a valuable service to many inner city and
underprivileged kids.
The Miami-Dade County School
Board has given this combined program vendor status;
thereby acknowledging the desire to get kids outdoors.
The school board plans to start fishing field trips for
its students this fall. Kids Lets Go Fishing involves
educational instruction prior to the fishing trip. The kids
are taught ethical angling techniques with regard to
tackle usage, fish handling and releasing, and resource
stewardship. Rich Abrams, of The Florida Fish and Game
Commission contributed to the concept, to be aligned
with the intentions of the State of Florida. On many of
these trips, the students are given rods, reels and tackle
kits, which are donated by the Florida Foundation for
Responsible Anglers (FFRA). The funds are generated by
“Fish Florida” license tag sales. The idea behind Kids Fish
Free is also to promote economical access to fishing for all
kids, but not necessarily in groups.
Conn takes the same stance as the Future Fisherman
Foundation (FFF), which maintains that fishing
develops self-confidence, respect for the outdoors and a
conservation ethic while encouraging young people to
make responsible choices
about their environment and
lifestyle. Just as important,
according to the FFF, “Fishing
is a lifelong sport that
provides an opportunity for
families to build new bonds,
and provides an activity
away from daily pressures
where adults and kids can
communicate on an open,
respectful basis.” Indeed,
the idea behind Kids Fish
Free is that there only need
be one paying adult for
several children to fish free
of charge.
The IGFA, Capt.
Bob Lewis Billfish
Challenge, the Yamaha
Contender Miami Billfish
Tournament, Youth Fishing
Foundation and The Miami
Outboard Club have
used the Reward Fishing
Fleet to provide fishing
trips for inner city youths
who before had never
fished. The organizations
that have used Conn’s
boats to conduct various
fishing trips include: the
Coral Springs Recreation
Department, the Boy’s Club,
the YMCA, as well as various
Optimist clubs and municipal
recreation departments
throughout South Florida.
Most recently, children from
the Key Biscayne Fishing
Camp and Overtown Youth
Center were aboard. During
the summer of 2005, around
700 such youngsters went
on their first fishing trip on
Another Reward. The entire
boat is dedicated to these
groups in order to give them
undivided attention and
personalized instruction.
Three-Hour Tour
On this sultry July day
the children gathered to
board as Huffman laid down
the rules of no running, no
horseplay and other safety
instructions. Conn waved
from the dock at the Miami
Beach Marina as Valdes
fired up the engine and
the passengers and crew
were on their way. The
counselors from the IGFA
camp tended their charges
as Huffman made sure the
rods and baits were ready
and functional. About a mile
from the marina in a “reef
patch,” Valdes anchored the
boat so the young anglers
could begin their day. In
true conservationist fashion,
the kids were using circle
hooks rather than J hooks in
order not to kill any of the
fish caught. Cindy Shourds
looked on as her daughter,
Natalie, 11, caught a fish.
“This is their first time [at the
IGFA camp],” she said. “But
they hate any other camp.
This is the only thing they’re
interested in.” Shourds had
two other children aboard,
Natalie’s twin sister, Sara,
and their older brother, Alec,
12. “This is probably the first
time that I’ve been fishing in
10 years,” Shourds continued.
“When they told me that
parents were welcome, I had
to come.”
Valdes, who has been
fishing with Conn and the
Reward Fishing Fleet for
10 years, said that he fully
understood the need to renew
the interest in fishing among
the younger generation.
“I’ve been fishing since I
was 8-years-old,” he said.
“I never got into trouble as
a kid because I was always
[occupied]. Today, these
kids will learn to conserve
so that there will actually be
fish to catch in the future.”
Valdes said there was a time
in the1980s when the fish
population had started to
noticeably dwindle and that
the conservation movement
had been the only thing to
preserve the sport. Jordan
Pitchek concurred. Pitchek,
a Miami Beach native, had
chaperoned his son, Eric, 10,
and his four friends, David
and Michael Cutler, ages 10
and 9, respectively, along
with Ariel Wallerstein, 10,
Jacob Danis, 8, and Doni
Simon, 10. The elder Pitchek
said that as a youngster on
Miami Beach, he had learned
to respect the sea. “I’ve fished
here my whole life. I’m part
of three generations fishing
[here],” he said. “In the late
1980s and early 1990s there
was a movement called ‘Ban
the Nets’ that was one of the
first conservationist efforts. It
passed [in a referendum] by 72-percent and kept nets out of
shallow waters. ”
[Author’s Note: Pitchek was referring to the 1994 Net
Ban amendment that was passed by voters. The gist of
the amendment: Banning gill and other entangling nets in
Florida’s coastal waters limits over-fishing and conserves
marine life.]
The Weather Started Getting Rough
Valdes had navigated the boat to three reef patches
where the water was shallow and many young yellowtail
snapper, grunts and grouper live. Almost all of the kids
had caught at least one fish. Across the water, ominous
gray clouds began moving in the direction of the boat and
the water became choppy. On this particular week, these
children had been attending the “marine biology” camp,
which, according to third year counselor Joanna Olczyk,
only operates for two of the nine weeks that the camp is in
session. “During the fishing camps,” she said. “They fish
everyday. During the marine biology camp, this is the only
day.” Some were not up to the boating excursion. Camilla
Andronicos, 12, sat inside the cabin with a grim look
on her face and her arms across her stomach. “I came to
camp because I thought it would be interesting,” she said.
“But I didn’t know I’d feel this sick.” The rain fell but the
kids were not hindered. Huffman was decked out in full
rain gear, prompting a couple of the children to comment,
“You look like ‘Scuba Steve.’ [Snicker].” After careful
consideration by the crew and the IGFA counselors, it was
time to head back to the marina.
Inside the cabin on the ride back, 11-year-old Alex
Satterfield had a smug look on his face. “Four years I’ve
been doing this,” he said as he held up four fingers. “See
him – first year. See her – first year.” He had been pointing
to IGFA Education Coordinator Matt Weathers and first
year junior counselor Natalia Bustamante. It seemed that
the acronym “FNG” had been muttered under his breath,
but it could not be confirmed. “I want to work on a boat or
for the IGFA. I like to help people and I like to fish,” said
Satterfield.
It seems as if Capt. Conn has his future generation of
fishermen.
For more information, contact Capt. Wayne Conn at
305-372-9470 or visit www.fishingmiami.com
|
|
|
|
;)
