Greetings FishTalkers, welcome to the winding down phase of summer and the ooh-it’s-about-to-bust-loose anticipation of Rocktober fishing. As for now it’s still a bit warm out there, warmer than it used to be for this time of year. A warming climate, burgeoning human population, and rampant development are polluting the Earth in ways we’ve never seen before. Clearly, it’s up to each and every one of us to help save the environment — and thus the Bay — in each and every way we can. Thus, I ask you all to:
- Save on water use by showering only when absolutely necessary, specifically, after you go fishing. If you get any pushback from your spouse simply explain that you are pulling out all the stops in your battle to save the environment. Keep it up for a few weeks and eventually he or she will identify the pattern, then beg you to go fishing more often.
- Stop mowing your lawn. All that mowing contributes to global warming whether you’re burning gas or sucking up electricity, and on top of that, lawns are poor habitat for pollinators, insects, and rockfish. Instead of mowing, plant it with native fauna. Plus, if you quit mowing the lawn you’ll gain an hour or two of fishing time each and every week.
- Start a compost heap. This is an excellent way to cut down on your contribution to the use of landfill space, while at the same time creating rich soil you can use for the native fauna now germinating among the crabgrass and dandelions in your lawn. Of course, in order for that soil to be rich it needs plenty of vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids, which come from fish. You’ll have to add at least another hour of fishing time to your schedule each and every week in order to ensure a steady supply of post-fillet remains you can mix in.
- Cut greenhouse gas emissions by becoming a pescatarian and reducing the demand for beef, thus encouraging the volumetric reduction of cow flatulence. You will still need a source of protein, so you will have no problem explaining to your boss and/or spouse why it’s necessary to go fishing far more often than you already do.
- Help remove litter from the water by dedicating at least one hour per week to walking the nearest shoreline and picking up trash... between casts.
- Replace that gas-guzzling truck or car with a boat. According to the EPA, recreational powerboats account for less than one percent of U. S. greenhouse gas emissions while cars and trucks account for more like 28 percent. Logic dictates that we should get rid of all those land vehicles and start going everywhere in our boats. (Note: If you currently own an electric car you will have to get an electric boat in order for this line of reasoning to pan out. Sorry.) Then you’ll be able to troll every day on the way to work or coming home from the grocery store, surely snagging a plastic bag here and there, which will also help contribute to cleaning up our waterways and coincidentally gain you several hours of fishing time per week.
Thank you, dear FishTalkers, for helping us save the world. It requires sacrifice and dedication. But if we don’t do it nobody will.