This semester I have been paired with the non-profit Release Over 20″ which is an advocate for sustainable catch and release fishing, especially fish that are over 20″. Most creek and river fish over 20″ are females capable of reproducing at extreme numbers. For example, a 20″ trout releases approximately 20 million eggs a spawning season.The numbers of fish in the water is at an all time low due to more anglers on the water using newer technology, reduced habitats for fish, and runoff pollution. With Release Over 20″‘s philosophy, not keeping trophy fish, and instead documenting fish caught and released for prizes, the fish population will continue to grow for future anglers to enjoy.
This past week was spring break, and what better to do in Charleston, SC than some fishing? I received an invite from Kerry Browning, the Release Over 20″ sponsor chairman and event coordinator, to join him fishing the rivers of Awendaw for a day. We enjoyed a day of telling stories, catching some fish, and growing my knowledge of what exactly Release Over 20″ does and its impact on the population of fish. I was able to see first hand how much one of the board of directors cares about this initiative and how dedicated he was to it. We caught a red bass and some trout, all released back into the waters, of course, to grow the future population.
Kerry also showed me a local dock called Technology Dock, named not for its high end state of the art weather technology, but for its unique tradition of nailing up old computers, cell phones, and anything else you can get on the pilings. Pretty neat if you ask me!
