Conservancy hopes RedSnook tournament reels in big bucks for study

Whether you like catch-and-release fishing, catch-for-dinner fishing or catch-towin a-tournament fishing, you probably agree that more game-fish studies are needed to make sure the stock is healthy and plentiful for your kids and grandkids.

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida is counting on such caring anglers to turn out for the 2008 RedSnook Catch and Release Charity Tournament this weekend, Oct. 3-5. The Conservancy plans to raise $60,000 to fund a more-expensive-than-that juvenile game-fish study, a four-year effort that will help decision-makers understand how to conserve and restore juvenile game-fish habitat.

That might sound like a lot of money, but tournament anglers are used paying big bucks to compete. These guys and gals will pay $790 for a team of two or $1,500 for a corporate team. Individuals are $395. Some hire and pay guides as well. More than 100 people will be fishing from the three official launch sites of Chokoloskee, Goodland and Naples.

Among those fishing are the legendary Roland Martin and his partner Mike Alstott, formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (Martin is also the honorary chair and tournament host for the second consecutive year.)

The legendary Roland Martin, left, will be fishing in this year's event with former Tampa Bay Buc Mike Alstott. Right, anglers relax for a photo after last years tournament. Most of the people competing, though, will be guys like Andy Hill, who enters five or six tournaments a year. The investment manager likes this tournament for two specific reasons: It's a 100 percent charity tourney with no cash prizes involved — "Money tournaments tend to make people do stupid things," he said — and it's IGFA-sanctioned. That means the International Game Fish Association sets the rules, and two top anglers garner a spot in the IGFA World Inshore Championship in summer 2009.

Hill also happens to like the tournament because he's been involved with it most of its 15 years; this year he's the event chair. Prior years the funds raised went to the YMCA. Then last year, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida became the beneficiary, garnering $45,000. More anglers this year means more money for the organization, which since 1964 has worked to manage growth, protect waterways, land and wildlife, and provide environmental education to residents and visitors.

Which brings us back to the study that tournament funds will benefit.

It's been more than 30 years since anyone collected data on juvenile game fish within the mangrove tidal creeks and salt marshes of the Ten Thousand Islands in areas of altered and unaltered freshwater flow. If this sounds familiar, you might have read about this type of study happening now with Mote Marine Laboratory in the Charlotte Harbor-Pine Island Sound area.

Snook, redfish, tarpon, ladyfish and possibly mangrove snapper will be the Ten Thousand Island study's subjects, said Jeff Schmid, biologist and environmental research manager at the Conservancy.

Staff will collect data from pristine places such as those south of Fakahatchee Strand and from those messed-up-by-canals places such as southern Golden Gate Estates and the Picayune Strand. Then they'll compare testing sites with regards to habitat characteristics, water quality and seasonal occurrence, abundance and size classes of game-fish species and the fish they typically feed on. The study will require about $30,000 annually for four years and will start in 2009.

"The fishermen are catching adult-sized, larger fish in the back bays. We're trying to connect that there are places little fish are coming from that benefit their fishing and also agencies that manage the fisheries," said Schmid, a Florida native who knew how to tie knots, cast and drive a boat before he learned to drive a car.

He'll be on hand Friday to say thanks to tournament anglers and chat with anyone who wants to talk about game-fish life cycles and ecosystems. I'm guessing, though, that most of these competitors know diminishing fish populations have dire consequences for sport fishing and ultimately for the region's economy as it relates to recreational fishing.

"Our fishing success is dependent on an understanding of this unique ecosystem," Hill said.

Got that right. Good luck, anglers. Raise some money and have some fun.

— Betsy Clayton is a freelancer based on Pine Island and also is Lee County Parks & Recreation's waterways coordinator. Contact her at boatingbybetsy@yahoo.com.

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