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Posted by Dave on 13:10:53 09/22/03
I just sent the following letter to Fish Talk Radio. They are having Mr. Mike Giusti from the Diamond Valley Lake fishery as a special guest this week. I thought this would be a good way to voice the opinions of the kayak fisherman. Please take the time to voice your opinion and help promote this wonderful sport.
Thanks,
Dave
September 22, 2003
Fish Talk Radio
KMPC AM1540
Re: Diamond Valley Lake & The Sit-On-Top Kayak Fisherman
Dear Fish Talk Radio Team,
The sport of kayak fishing is rapidly growing. And of the billions of dollars spent on annually on fishing, the kayak fisherman has steadily increased its market share. It is a relatively inexpensive alternative to owning a powerboat and enables you access to the same fishing areas (perhaps even more). However, the growth of this tremendous sport is being hampered by bad regulation.
It appears that the Sit-On-Top kayak fisherman is being inappropriately targeted with the "no contact" approach to water management. Water districts, such as The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and Diamond Valley Lake, have adopted "no contact" rules for their recreational reservoirs which exclude the SOT kayak fishermen but allows sit in kayak as well as powered fishermen. I understand the importance of clean water and the hazards of human and non-human pollutants; but it seems as if their effort is misaligned. There is no definitive study (that I know of) that can directly link the SOT kayak fisherman to water pollution. In fact, an argument could be made that the SOT kayak fisherman is more environmentally friendly that the powerboat fisherman. Surely having 100 SOT kayaks on the lake is more beneficial to ensuring clean water than 100 gas powered boats.
No matter how you slice it, the SOT kayak fisherman is being inappropriately targeted through inconclusive studies. Perhaps the loss of potential revenue will force regulators to rethink their decisions. In the meantime, we will look to the boating and fishing community for support. Any help we be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
David T. Pliska
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