As a kid I grew to love fishing in the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Poor and missing conservation efforts, soil erosion, and other factors left a bunch of kids who came after me with not many fish to catch. In recent years, the Chesapeake Bay is turning around, thanks to conservation plans and lots of taxpayers dollars. Fifteen or so years ago, I found Amelia Island and a few trips to the beach with a fishing rod brought back many memories of the abundance of fish to catch from my childhood.

Each and every one of us who fishes in the surf, from the pier, or from a boat needs to be a conservationist. Familiarize yourself with the size limit of the fish you'll be catching - limits are set to preserve the species. Play by the rules.

If you don't need an extra fish for the dinner table, carefully release it - wet your hands before you touch the fish and try to handle it as little as possible before you let it go. It's a very rewarding feeling to release a big red after a forty five minute battle, with the knowledge that he'll fight again some day or keep his family growing. Take your camera with you when you fish - you can only eat a fish for dinner once, but you can look at a picture a million times.

Be careful about litter on the beach and in the ocean - simple things like a tangled ball of fishing line or the plastic from a six pack of sodas can injure or kill birds, turtles, and fish. A small trash bag in the tackle box doesn't take up much room, and it makes it simple to leave the beach like you found it.

Birds can be pests - they'll swoop down and grab your bait if you leave it uncovered on the beach, and they also don't see monofilament fishing lines too well. If a bird gets tangled in your line, don't cut the line in an attempt to get rid of him. If you let him go with line tangled on his wings, he probably won't survive. He won't be happy about it but you'll need to gently reel him in and untangle him so he can go on his way. A pair of gloves in the tackle box is a must for untangling Mr. Unhappy Seagull.

Teach a kid conservation. Some day he'll teach another kid. Hopefully Florida will never see a generation of kids with no fish to catch.

Enjoy your fishing, and fish with the goal that in the future others will enjoy it too.

Thanks for taking the time to read this page.