Everglades National Park is South Florida’s crown Jewel. Spanning approximately 1.5 million acres, this truly wild land has been federally protected but the fight for conservation is never ending. With seemingly endless development engulfing the state of Florida preserving this land has become more difficult. Many of those who were lucky enough to see the park in its early years have first hand witnessed impacts of freshwater being removed from the system. Water filtering down through the river of grass is vital to the ecosystem. As fisherman and guides who are on the waters of the park day in and day out our responsibility is to share our passion and knowledge of this environment and educate others on the conservation issues we face. Many organizations like Captains for Clean Water, Bonefish Tarpon Trust, and the Everglades Foundation are leading the charge on ecological issues regarding the Park, but as fisherman and guides we see issues first hand that pose question for potential regulations that are needed to preserve the parks wildlife. Over the past few years Forward Facing Sonar Systems that are very popular in the freshwater fishing arena have started to make their way into Everglades National Park. These Sonar Systems have become so advanced that they can spot a fish 50-100ft ahead of the boat and even allow an angler to see their lure fall in front of the fish on the screen. As more Captains have adopted these technologies the question of preservation regarding weather or not these Forward Facing Sonar Systems are considered ethical fishing techniques has become a growing conversation among many long time fishing guides. These Sonar Systems allow people to find and target fish that never would have been possible to catch before in deep/dark waters that many of these fish use to hide. I have started a Petition to Outlaw or Regulate Forward Facing Sonar in Everglades National Park Boundaries to try to draw some attention to the issue and hopefully have a regulation put in place to restrict these Sonar Systems. We must fight to preserver the ecosystems and wildlife of the park for future generations. Please take a moment to sign the petition by clicking the link below if you would like to see this issue get addressed.
