OK, March roared out in a leonine fashion and we are now into the realm of April showers. The way things have been so far this year, that commo>

The fishing is therefore likely to pick up quickly with a wahoo run giving way to the dominance of other summer species on the offshore grounds. Whether or not yellowfin tuna play a significant role in all of this has yet to be seen but one would have to think that most of the normal migratory patterns will occur and there should be some tuna on the traditional fishing grounds any time now.

The inshore waters are the most affected by a warming trend and even though most locals will not be contemplating a dip for another six weeks or so, the fish may well react differently. Jacks are already around and the grey snappers cannot be too far behind. This latter species seems to continue to move inshore over a protracted period with some of the real old pros knowing exactly where to go on the early summer moons to maximise the grey dog catch.

While most of the recognised angling clubs will have been made aware of this, there are probably plenty of keen recreational anglers who either do not belong to such a club or simply have no interest in introducing a competitive element into their fishing. Right now, the Department of the Environment (formerly Fisheries) is seeking input on possible bag limits for certain species.

Before madly jumping to conclusions and accusing Government of becoming unduly involved in a recreational pastime, it helps to put a bit of perspective on to this suggestion.

First off, there are a number of elements to this type of regulation. The most obvious are by no means new or revolutionary. Most readers of more general fishing magazines will have come across bag limits or catch limits as practiced in all sorts of jurisdictions. Most obviously such limits have in place for freshwater species for decades, if not longer.

Freshwater fishing licences usually stipulate how many trout, for instance, the holder can be in possession of during any given period. There are also seasonal limits that might affect the numbers that can be legally held. During certain times of the year, different quantities are allowed. This probably is intended to help In more recent years, some of the more progressive states have extended this type of legislation to marine species. A good example is the Florida statute for tarpon. Possession is so difficult that catch and release is pretty much the only type of fishing that is practiced. Even if an angler wants a trophy for his living room, the taxidermy people have got this all sewn up. All you need is a decent length measurement and they can produce just about any trophy mount.

This gives a clue to the reasoning behind such regulations. Many species are more valuable as recreational target fish than they are as fillets. Good examples include the roosterfish off Costa Rica. There each rooster caught is handled very delicately, has its photos taken and is then extremely carefully returned to the water in the expectation that it will provide a visiting angler with his share of thrills and action. It gives new meaning to the expression "recycling".

Numbers can be just part of the regulatory tools to try and ensure future generations of fish for others. Another effort is directed toward size restrictions. Bermuda is already used to this with there having been minimum size limits on spiny lobsters for many years and length limits on rockfish, snappers and hogfish. Internationally established minimum weight limits have also been put into place for billfish (blue and white marlin) and tuna (yellowfin and bluefin, being the most easily recognised locally).

The other and maybe the most arguable reasoning is that the requirements of recreational fishermen a.k.a. anglers are far smaller than those of commercial operators. There is plenty of gray in this area, largely depending on how the commercial fishery is administered. In Bermuda a commercial fisherman's licence is a licence to sell fish. While there are a few things that affect the fishing, the main point is to control the legal sales of fish and lobsters. This is not always the case, however. In the US for instance, certain states issue licences that permit commercial operators to use certain gear types, to have access to certain areas or to be able to catch greater numbers of fish. In some of those same states, anyone can sell fish. The trick may be that you have to have the right licence to be able to catch a fish in the first place. Nothing simple about this and going beyond state domain, there are also Federal considerations. These deal primarily with pelagic species, such as tunas and sharks but there are other things that need to be taken into account.

One position that may be taken, and this is the case elsewhere, is that the payment of licence fees affords operators some measure of protection from illegal sales. The opposite side of this argument is that if a casual angler catches enough fish for himself and maybe a few family and friends that is okay. It is when (and this is sometimes the case here) the amateur catches as much as the professional and then goes into competition with the commercial operators that the problems start to come along. Part of the object of this exercise will be to minimise friction between the two groups while trying to maintain the integrity of the resource; something that is more easily said than done! While it is apparent that the Bermuda environmental regulatory authorities are still sorting out the details, what is important is that there is some consideration being given to stakeholders other than the commercial fishermen. It was this group that gave rise to most of the Fisheries Regulations in the first place and this is now well and truly outmoded. While it is fairly certain that the recognised fishing clubs will be having their say in these matters, anyone else who wants to have their views taken into consideration should either go through a proper organisation or seek another means of providing the authorities with their input.

This sort of opportunity to affect one's position in the scheme of things does not happen along too often and it is important to ensure that your point is made even if, in the final analysis it has little effect on the final outcome. Just remember, today's rules may well have an impact on tomorrow's Tight lines!!!