TOMORROW'S FISH

Constant, Gentle Pressure

Share your history in fishing, current fishing experience 

Dave Snyder (DS): I began fishing after moving to southern Georgia more than 20 years ago. My goal is to fish at least 150 days a year. Maybe that’s an hour in the morning, here or there. Or, sometimes it’s a month-long trip to the Keys and I’ll fish every day. It’s about balance, for me. 

Describe changes you’ve experienced in your fisheries over the years 

DS: The decline in sea trout and redfish. The two most abundant game fish in the area have declined. One of my restaurants is 80% , federal managed species like snapper, grouper, tuna, triggerfish. Supply has dwindled and the price of some fish have more than tripled. The demand has grown, and the supply is dwindling. 

What is the role of conservation, in general, in your fishing experience? 

DS: Dwayne Harris, a local friend of mine, got me interested. Used to be Chairman of the South Atlantic Fisheries Management Council. When the red snapper was crashing, I jumped in with both feet. I represented the consumer, as a restaurant owner. Now, I’m on the steering committee of Marine Resource Edcuation Program (MREP.) I love to be on the water, and I want the next generation to enjoy it too. But it’s not entirely altruistic, let’s face it, one of my businesses runs on more than 80 percent federally managed fish sales. I tend to not preach from a pulpit, I know most of my guests don’t come for that, but if they ask, I’ll ask em if they’ve got two minutes or twenty minutes. And the next day, I’m meeting with a state Senator, who doesn’t know any better because he’s getting bad information from his staff, so he needs to know.

How did you first become aware, what are your priorities for impacts to your fisheries related to climate change? 

DS: Water temperature got to be the biggest one. Yesterday, for example, the water was 89 degrees, a full 2-3 degrees warmer than usual. We’ve seen tarpon migrations coming earlier, chasing baitfish that are continuously moving northward. We saw a triple-tail earlier than last year. We’ve also got 4-5 places that now, with just a king tide, are flooding with a king tide, and that wasn’t happening before. But for those of us fishing, warming water’s have to be the primary concern. 

What would you say to recreational anglers interested in advocating for climate ready fisheries?  

DS: Just tell your story. I will just talk about my story. The best comedians, they talk about what they know. There’s a business practice, I learned from a guy, called “constant, gentle pressure.” It’s mentioning it for 6 seconds at the gas pump. It’s mentioning it at the bar, without holding court. You have to keep it top-of-mind. 

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