Saturday, July 29, 2006
Islamorada Boat Ramp Opens to Backcountry Guides
ISLAMORADA — The Village Council has approved a six-month pilot program that allows backcountry fishing guides to launch boats at Plantation Yacht Harbor Marina in Founders Park.
"Change is difficult sometimes," Jim Trice, chairman of the village's Near Shore Water Regulation Citizen's Advisory Committee, said Friday. "Our committee suggested a pilot program. Rather than try to hit a home run we stepped up and hit a single. We still have things to learn so we're taking a few baby steps." Trice said there are two kinds of guides: those who are established and regularly booked and those who are new to the business and require a reliable boat launch.
"What if the Lorelei were to close its ramp for repairs?" he asked. "Having launch privileges at Plantation Yacht Harbor Marina is a backup."
The committee suggested charging captains $50 a year, reasoning that with 30 to 40 participating captains they could cover the cost of administration. "I am pleased that the village showed some initiative before we got into a crisis mode," Trice said.
The action came with a backdrop of closing marinas and disappearing boat launch ramps. Read More Here
Park staff will monitor launches to ensure only registered guides are taking advantage of the program. The pilot program also prohibits guides from setting up operations at the marina. "The council was clear that no one can use the marina as a basis for business," Village Manager Gary Word said.
"Change is difficult sometimes," Jim Trice, chairman of the village's Near Shore Water Regulation Citizen's Advisory Committee, said Friday. "Our committee suggested a pilot program. Rather than try to hit a home run we stepped up and hit a single. We still have things to learn so we're taking a few baby steps." Trice said there are two kinds of guides: those who are established and regularly booked and those who are new to the business and require a reliable boat launch.
"What if the Lorelei were to close its ramp for repairs?" he asked. "Having launch privileges at Plantation Yacht Harbor Marina is a backup."
The committee suggested charging captains $50 a year, reasoning that with 30 to 40 participating captains they could cover the cost of administration. "I am pleased that the village showed some initiative before we got into a crisis mode," Trice said.
The action came with a backdrop of closing marinas and disappearing boat launch ramps. Read More Here
Park staff will monitor launches to ensure only registered guides are taking advantage of the program. The pilot program also prohibits guides from setting up operations at the marina. "The council was clear that no one can use the marina as a basis for business," Village Manager Gary Word said.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Diver Dies off Islamorada 1st Day of Lobster Mini Season
A man died when he failed to surface during a dive with a friend off the Florida Keys, said Becky Herrin, spokeswoman for the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. The man, who was diving on a reef off Islamorada, was not immediately identified.
Two boating accidents were reported in the Upper Keys on Wednesday morning, but no fatalities were reported.
The lobster mini-season attracts thousand to the Keys each summer. The mini-season allows recreational divers to harvest legal-sized spiny lobsters before the commercial season begins.
Two boating accidents were reported in the Upper Keys on Wednesday morning, but no fatalities were reported.
The lobster mini-season attracts thousand to the Keys each summer. The mini-season allows recreational divers to harvest legal-sized spiny lobsters before the commercial season begins.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Islamorada Backcountry Boat Ramps Harder to Find
While the fate of Islamorada's deep-sea fishing fleet continues to dominate headlines, waterfront access for the village's backcountry fishing fleet is quietly slipping away.
The Lorelei Cabana Bar, traditionally a center of Islamorada backcountry fishing activity, has reduced the number of captains that can launch from its ramps each day from 100 to 30. Smugglers Cove has closed its boat ramp to the public, and did not include backcountry slips in its plan to build a floating dock for as many as 20 deep-sea fishing charters.
Backcountry guides will lose even more slips when Holiday Isle and La Siesta Marina are redeveloped. Holiday Isle said it will preserve some deep-sea fishing charter slips, but none of the 15 backcountry slips, and La Siesta said it will close its daily public launch.
Two other properties have come under the ownership of Watermark Marinas, which said it will make slips available for both deep-sea and backcountry fishermen, but has not decided what to do about its ramp access, according to Michael Shanley, vice president of East Coast operations.
A new plan to give 50 backcountry fishermen access to the Founders Park boat ramp has its supporters, but they warn it would be but a small step toward maintaining water access for the village's estimated 150 guides.
Under the plan, approved guides could use the Founders Park ramp between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. rather than restrict them to the ramp's normal hours of 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Guides would be required to carry $1 million in commercial insurance coverage. They would not be allowed to make bookings or advertise on park premises. Parking would be restricted to limited areas.
Click here to Read the Complete Story
The Lorelei Cabana Bar, traditionally a center of Islamorada backcountry fishing activity, has reduced the number of captains that can launch from its ramps each day from 100 to 30. Smugglers Cove has closed its boat ramp to the public, and did not include backcountry slips in its plan to build a floating dock for as many as 20 deep-sea fishing charters.
Backcountry guides will lose even more slips when Holiday Isle and La Siesta Marina are redeveloped. Holiday Isle said it will preserve some deep-sea fishing charter slips, but none of the 15 backcountry slips, and La Siesta said it will close its daily public launch.
Two other properties have come under the ownership of Watermark Marinas, which said it will make slips available for both deep-sea and backcountry fishermen, but has not decided what to do about its ramp access, according to Michael Shanley, vice president of East Coast operations.
A new plan to give 50 backcountry fishermen access to the Founders Park boat ramp has its supporters, but they warn it would be but a small step toward maintaining water access for the village's estimated 150 guides.
Under the plan, approved guides could use the Founders Park ramp between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. rather than restrict them to the ramp's normal hours of 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Guides would be required to carry $1 million in commercial insurance coverage. They would not be allowed to make bookings or advertise on park premises. Parking would be restricted to limited areas.
Click here to Read the Complete Story
