March 3, 2020 — Ultrasonic sensors that can follow a single fish along the seafloor, submersible cameras, satellites, big data tracking — put it all aboard a center console fishing boat with five engines that can cover 75 miles of sea in an hour.
The result: Any weekend warrior angler leaving Charleston with gear like that can return time after time to that same rock swarmed with snapper-grouper, then come back with coolers full of tasty seafood favorite fish that regulators are struggling to keep from being overfished.
Rapidly advancing technology is raking the ocean clean as conservationists and regulators plug in to keep up the chase.
“GPS navigation can put you within inches of a fishing spot, and with the advances in sonar and use of inexpensive submersible cameras, it’s possible to see, not just schools of fish, but individual fish in great detail,” said Tom Swatzel, director of the South Carolina-based Council for Sustainable Fishing, which represents both commercial and recreational fishing interests.
Nearly a half-million people have saltwater fishing licenses in South Carolina, and tens if not hundreds of thousands of them own boats capable of cruising out of sight of land. It’s been estimated more than a half-million trips are run offshore each year.
The numbers alone make it problematic to count how many fish get caught, much less enforce catch or season limits. Unlike commercial captains, recreational anglers don’t have to report their catches. A half-million coolers can carry off a lot of fish.