Panama City Beach News raises questions about catch shares.
Have you ever been deep sea fishing? Until last summer, I hadn’t. Which is rather surprising, since I grew up here on the Gulf Coast and spent most of my impressionable days on the deck of one boat or another. It was a warm day in late May. The first few catches were decent B-liners (Vermillion Snapper). The next week Red Snapper season opened and I’m still not sure who was more hooked, me or the fish. The fight at the bottom of the line made dinner taste that much better. I’m not alone. Offshore fishing is big business.
Recreational fishing affects every facet of our tourist driven economy. The marketing committee of the TDC understands this. In a recent meeting there were several references to fishing. “People come here for the fishing.” The TDC wants to make sure that potential visitors know that there is great fishing from the new County Pier. Sure fishing is fun… after the beach, after the water park, after the golf… Let’s go fishing! But for some it is more than something to check off the list of things to do, it is the main reason they come to Panama City Beach.
Read the complete story at Panama City Beach News and Information.