Protecting fisherman Rights along beaches

[seamonkey]

Organization hopes to reel in more members
By Andrew Ostroski
Staff Writer



MILLVILLE -- The ability to fish in the waters of Sussex County for sport has always drawn people to the area, whether it be those coming down for a few days or for a more permanent stay.
Now, fishermen from around the state are doing what they can to protect their rights along the beaches and estuaries.


About 40 fishermen gathered at the Millville Volunteer Fire Company to begin exploring the creation of a fishing organization called the Delaware Fishing Alliance. The group, led by Butch Evans of Old Inlet Bait and Tackle, aims to create a blanket group to encompass fishing organizations across the state and ensure a positive future for the sport in Delaware.

"What we want to do is get all these people who do or don't belong to a club and form an alliance," he said. "The purpose of the alliance would be twofold -- a political lobby and education.We need to educate all the anglers from all the clubs and all the people who come to the area so they'll understand why we object to some of the regulations."
The meeting was the first for this particular organization and Evans said a future meeting outside of Sussex County, most likely in Dover or Smyrna, to attract attention from fishing organizations further north along the Delaware Bay. Reaching out to fishermen who are not affiliated with any clubs, Evans said, is also an important aspect to the alliance.
"We would hope to be affiliated with the Delaware Mobile Surf-Fisherman, Delaware Surfcasters and the fly fishermen, but there are a large amount of fishermen who don't belong to any particular club," he said. "Down the road, they're going to need to be a part of some type of organization because we're going to need those numbers. We need that strength in numbers."
Burt Campbell, a fisherman from Dagsboro, said the alliance could be a useful tool in promoting Delaware as a prime fishing destination for some who have left for other locations.
"We've made a lot of mistakes that have cost us a lot of our resources and we need to try to fix that," he said. "We need to do something to get the people back. We need to have a voice where we can go to our legislators to apprise them of what's going on and what needs to be fixed."
Making a splash in Dover, according to Richard Schneider of Wilmington, is another important part of the group. "You have people who are concerned about fishing and with this there's a place for them to meet, a place for them to get information, and a place to discuss issues," he said. "That's what you need -- a forum for discussion. You have more power as a unit rather than as an individual."

[stripercrazy]

Power to those guys. Sometimes I fish Li sound in connecticut, and property owners are unfair about beach access. This isn't something we should have to fight for. It's our rights.

[ledhead36]

good point. No matter where you're talking about, once rights are lost, very difficult to get them back.

[dogfish]

"We would hope to be affiliated with the Delaware Mobile Surf-Fisherman, Delaware Surfcasters and the fly fishermen, but there are a large amount of fishermen who don't belong to any particular club," he said. "Down the road, they're going to need to be a part of some type of organization because we're going to need those numbers. We need that strength in numbers."


"That's what you need -- a forum for discussion. You have more power as a unit rather than as an individual."

amen, fishermen could be a powerful group if we all could put aside the beefs and attitudes.