First Name | CHRISTOPHER |
---|---|
Last Name | MARTIN |
Email Address | CMJHARDMONEY@GMAIL.COM |
Affiliation | |
Subject | Sportfishing should Not only be for the Very Weathy! |
Comment | With the price of boats, gas, insurance, storage and maintenance, the only people in San Diego who can afford to fish on theri own boats are wealthy. Just 1 weekly trip on your own boat will cost est $2,000 per month if you are financing a seaworthy vessle- maybe 1/2 of your annual income. Coastal access to fishing is limited, impractical and offers limited results. Offshore fishing on 'affordable' party boats allows you to fill your freezer to offset the cost. The recent dramatic increase in ticket prices- due to expenses including bait, gas prices, labor costs and being forced to limit loads due to the pandemic makes even this less expensive option unaffordable for many. I now fish much less frequently as it costs at least 30% more than pre-pandemic. I could take a kid fishing for maybe $80 and now it is closer to $150! The party boat operators are on a shoestring budget and do it out of love for the sport and their customers. Nobody is getting rich and most are just surviving. Most are still using boats built in the 1940s-1970s with a rare vessle built in recent decades. These boats will be virtually worthless and have to be sold for scrap or to out of country buyers. Forcing operators to buy new vessles or refit with new technology will bankrupt almost all of them. The few that may survive by taking massive loans will be forced to raise prices so much they will lose their customers. No kids will fish. No busy working class folks will fish. There will be no next generation of working class fishermen. Everyone will just spend more time watching TV and less time appreciating nature. |
Attachment | |
Original File Name | |
Date and Time Comment Was Submitted | 2021-11-09 08:02:29 |
If you have any questions or comments please contact Clerk of the Board at (916) 322-5594.