Bill Santos, who lives in Taunton, Mass., called me earlier this week, and the talk soon turned to fishing.
For many years, Bill made the long trip to the Kenai Peninsula to fish for sockeyes on the Kenai. He no longer comes to Alaska, but sometimes fishes for striped bass from the banks of Cape Cod Canal.
“Been catchin’ anything?” he asked.
“Not much,” I said. “You?”
“There’s so many people here now, it’s like combat fishin’ on the Kenai River,” he said. “People will see you catch a fish, and they’ll call their buddies on their cell phones to tell them about it. Before you can get your fish out of the water, there’s a picture of it on the Internet. They’re all on bikes now. The next thing you know, three guys are behind you, casting over your shoulder.”
The timing for hearing this was perfect. I had just started reading the transcript of the recent Kenai Classic Roundtable, held in Soldotna Aug. 19, hosted by the Kenai River Sportfishing Association. According to a blog on the KRSA Website, roundtable panelists were “leaders from all segments of the recreational fishing community.”
I couldn’t help but wonder what these leaders had planned for my segment of their so-called community. I noted that none of them were from any community on the Kenai Peninsula. The only one from Alaska, Kara Moriarty, is the executive director of the Alaska Oil and Gas Association and a KRSA board member.
Further on in the blog, I learned that the panel “focused on a long-term view of recreational fishing and the strategies necessary to ensure continued growth of the sport.”
Thank you, panel members, but where I live, the sport has grown quite enough. Just as my friend Bill Santos has found on Cape Cod Canal, we’ve had all the growth of the sport we can stand on the Kenai Peninsula. We’ve been loving the Kenai River to death for years. Now you’re advocating for still more growth? When is enough enough?
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