This is going beyond a joke. Another tropical-storm system coming out of seemingly nowhere and ruining the amateurs’ hopes of getting another crack at the wahoo and mahi mahi before the winter weather pretty much shuts down everything.

It also makes a mockery of that old rhyme that so many old-timers stood by. It went something like: “June too soon ... October all over”.

Yeah, storms all over Bermuda.

Probably a result, for some, of “non-existent global warming”, a change in ocean currents or just plain bad luck, but this island is seeing more such tropical systems each year, and it is hard to believe that this does not affect the fish and their migration in one way or another.

While sportfishing is very concerned about conservation and protecting marine species, practitioners are also worried about maintaining the ability to exploit marine resources whenever they want. On some occasions, this is for food, as is the case when local anglers boat a few wahoo or tuna for use by family and friends. They are likewise concerned that they continue to be able to fish competitively on a mostly catch-and-release basis such as that used for the various billfish tournaments.

These concerns are far-reaching and are certainly international in nature. Coming to the fore at present is the proposal to make the Azorean seamounts marine-protected areas. This is part of a very wide-reaching plan to bring the Azores Marine-Protected Area Network into force. This plan would protect about 30 per cent of the waters surrounding the nine islands that make up the Azorean archipelago. The plan calls for 15 per cent of the area to be fully protected and for an additional 15 per cent to be “highly protected”. The latter grouping would prevent fishing in those areas.

For the most part, this undertaking is laudable, but it has also raised an awareness that much of the best billfishing in the Atlantic would be off limits. This realisation has caused the International Game Fish Association, the world governing body of sportfishing, to raise the matter with the Azorean government.

The areas in question include seamounts that are incredibly productive of blue marlin, particularly the large blue marlin that are the focus of anglers who are in a position to pursue such trophy fish.

The IGFA points out that the relatively small number of charter boats that operate in the Azores and the limited number of visiting sportfishing boats make no significant impact on the marine resources, as virtually all the fish caught are released.

It is difficult to take sides in this situation. Obviously, the protection of marine resources benefits everyone in the long run, but — as the IGFA is quick to point out — the presence of sportfishing of such quality in Azorean waters is a powerful economic stimulus. Billfishing provides a valuable branch of tourism that might otherwise not exist. That most fish are not boated, leaving them to survive, has been shown to be a sustainable tactic — as has been witnessed with some success in places such as Costa Rica, where sailfish sportfishery has been long cited as a positive example.

It will be interesting to see how the IGFA’s representations affect the development of this marine-protection programme. It will provide valuable insight into other such proposals including the ones here in Bermuda, such as the recent Blue Halo and similar marine-protection programmes.

On a worldwide basis, there are increasing efforts to protect the environment and to maintain biodiversity. This certainly extends to the marine environment, and isolated marine islands may form an important part of the overall ecosystem. Such protection will come at some cost to the users and abusers of these natural systems, and it will be up to those to help determine the extent of closures and limits to exploitation. Sooner or later, this will come to Bermuda to a greater or lesser degree, and anglers and fishermen will need to ensure that they are represented. As many negotiators have learnt over the years, the best outcome may be one that no party is really too happy with.

With a bit of a grouchy weekend ahead, anglers determined to get off land may do well to confine themselves to the channels and reef areas. This is especially true if the object of the exercise is to get something for the table.

Chumming should lure a few whitewater snappers in channel waters, and triggerfish — locally turbot for some reason — are usually likely to please. The downside with the latter is that they can be difficult to clean. They do, however, offer quality, white-meat fillets.

Over the reefs, there should be some yellowtail snappers as well as small ambers and bonitas that will respond to chum. Off the bottom, there will be coneys and barbers fairly consistently, although every so often the bite will be a red hind making for even better Tight Lines!!!