Thursday, January 05, 2012
Bill Cochran's Outdoors: Governor wants to reel in Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament
Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.
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With a ceremonial first cast into the Atlantic, Gov. James Lindsay Almond inaugurated the state-sponsored Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament in May of 1958. Fifty-five years later, current governor Bob McDonnell has submitted a two-year budget proposal that calls for the tournament’s last cast.
McDonnell wants to scrap the annual year-round event, which is one of the oldest, largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments in the nation. That has been tried before, by the likes of governors John Dalton and George Allen. It failed then and will fail again, because it is a stupid idea. But that doesn’t mean anglers won’t have to spend energy, anger and money to hold onto something that is theirs in the first place. Already, many are in an uproar.
The program is operated by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission and primarily is funded through the sale of recreational saltwater fishing licenses at the tune of just over $200,000 annually.
Even if the money came from the general fund, as was the case in the tournament’s early years, it would be tax money well spent. The tournament is like a net that draws thousands of fishermen from across the country and beyond to enjoy Virginia’s rich saltwater fishing resources. No telling how many millions of dollars it has contributed to the economy of Virginia in its more than a half-century of existence.
McDonnell’s plan is one of those rob Peter to pay Paul deals. It would take the money necessary to operate the tournament and redirect it into marine law enforcement and fisheries management programs. That would free up an identical amount for General Fund expenditures not necessarily related to fisheries programs.
This is a violation of what fishermen were promised when the saltwater license was enacted. In fact, opponents then warned that the license money would be subject to raids.
“The politicians in Richmond now see this as free money that we anglers stupidly gave them,” said Dr. Ken Neill, III, a representative of the International Game Fish Association. “Can they really not see how they have violated their constituents’ trust?”
Sen. Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk, has promised to introduce an amendment to the governor’s budget to restore tournament funds and save the program.
“The Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament is a huge part of why recreational angling contributes so much to Virginia’s economy,” he said. Tourism revenue and jobs are “two things that we should be looking to create, not destroy.”
The contest awards sharp-looking, coveted wall plaques—called citations--to anglers who register saltwater fish that meet stiff minimum weight or length standards. About 5,000 of these go to anglers annually in categories for 35 different fish species. The contest has encouraged conservation to the point that some 65 percent of the catches are released.
Other states have patterned tournaments after Virginia’s, but seldom with the same success because they have skimped on the quality of their plaques.
In addition to selling a ton of boats, tackle, bait, food, gas, hotel rooms and guide fees, the tournament collects data that is valuable to scientists who manage fishery resources. Most recently that has been used in ongoing studies of bluefin tuna, white marlin and spearfish.
The same baseline data is highly valuable to outdoor writers working on angling stories. I have referred to the tournament thousands of time in my writing career. Mention the word citation, and readers know exactly what you are talking about.
The tournament has enjoyed the stability of just three directors in its 55 years. The first was pioneer angler Claude Rogers; then came angling expert and PR whiz Claude Bain, followed most recently by Lewis Gillingham, a career VMRC manager. The contest has but two employees.
The program has earned its keep by being good for the economy, good for angling and even good for fish. Sportsmen need to make certain their legislators are aware of that fact.
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